Affairs Of the Heart, And Other Things Vikings Don't Talk About
by E.Wills
Summary: Love is a complicated thing, particularly for two lovesick Viking teens. Figured it was about time I changed the summary. Is it vague enough for you? Good. [Hiccstrid].
1. The Initial Break

**Author's Note**:It's been years since I've dabbled in the realm writing of fan fiction, and I mean _years_. So..be nice and stuff, yeah? I found new inspiration in my love of HTTYD. The trailer for HTTYD 2, as well as many of the awesome stories I've read on this site, compelled me to submit my own work to the fandom, particular in the form of the following Hiccstrid fic. I ship them so hard, you guys. I hope you enjoy this! :) Oh, BTW, this takes place before HTTYD 2 and after the TV series. I imagine them to be 17/18-ish? Well, in later chapters anyway. The first chapter is mainly Hiccup's recollection of the year or two immediately following his defeat of the Red Death.

**Disclaimer: **I, very sadly, do not own HTTYD and its characters or any official material relating to them.

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_Growing up is hard._

This was one simple fact that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III knew painfully well. Never mind that those awkward teenage years were enough of a struggle for your common man, Hiccup had to endure the additional woes of growing up a Viking…or rather, he had _tried_ to. Years of one desperate attempt after another to find his place among his tribe had only earned him more ridicule and ostracism. Every valiant effort to fit in had only caused him to stand out more. In a culture that fostered conformity to rigidly upheld traditions, being an _individual_ was about as useful as a flightless dragon with no firepower. In addition to being about as _un- _Viking to the eye as he was, Hiccup's uniqueness was only a further insult to his tribe and to his family name.

Shame? Hiccup was no stranger to it. Feelings of inadequacy? They were lifelong friends. Isolation and regrets? That relationship was an intimate one.

Then came Toothless. There was friendship and a bond so real and unshakeable, it was as if Odin himself had forged it. Together they had changed the course of history, turning 300 years of rigid Viking tradition on its head. No one would have dared to believe that Hiccup, the village's greatest embarrassment, would become the village's greatest triumph, taking down the Red Death.

In a manner of days, almost everything Hiccup had known about life on Berk had reversed. He was finally accepted, celebrated even. His father now looked at him with pride. He had friends and more admirers than he cared to count. He was considered a source of inspiration and an authority on all things dragon. Considering that life on the small, now peaceful isle of Berk revolved around dragons, it sort of made Hiccup on authority on most things. His intelligence was finally recognized and his Hiccup-ness respected. If anyone had predicted that any of these things would one day come to pass, Hiccup might have laughed himself to tears. Yet, there he was, a chief-in-training and an expert dragon trainer commanding respect and awe as he sailed through the skies above Berk on the back of his loyal Night Fury.

It finally seemed that Hiccup had weathered the storms of teenage angst and arrived to the sandy shores of maturity—but that was before he realized he had one more storm left to navigate. It had been looming on the horizon for some years now, creeping ever closer with ominous black clouds and rolling thunder. Hiccup was not sure he would survive it, this storm. After all, had he not paid his dues tenfold? It hardly seemed fair that with all his past struggles, his biggest challenge still lay ahead of him. He was not sure he had the strength to face it anymore. For this storm took human form of a young Viking woman who was a fierce as she was beautiful. A walking enigma of feminine mystery that had stolen his heart years ago. Hiccup, of course, was thinking about Astrid Hofferson.

There was a brief time, shortly after the defeat of the Red Death, when the transformation of Berk was still new and exciting, that Hiccup had dared to think that maybe, just maybe he stood a chance with Astrid. After all, she _had _kissed him in front of the whole village and Hiccup had took that as a pretty clear sign that they were a couple. How else _should_ he have taken it? Maybe if it had been a one-time thing, Hiccup could have easily concluded that she was just happy he was alive, but their relationship, if it could even be called that, only seemed to take off after that. Astrid had been there for the founding of the dragon training academy and was an integral part of helping defend Berk from Alvin the Treacherous and his Outcasts, as well as Dagur and his Berserkers. She and Hiccup had worked closely on integrating dragons into Berkian life. True, the other teens had greatly helped as well, but Astrid was always coming to him with ideas, solutions, strategies, or just simply to talk dragons, far more than any of his other peers did. Hiccup was under the impression they were only growing closer.

Then, of course, there were the kisses. There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason to when and why Astrid kissed him, but Hiccup was just pleased to be the bewildered recipient whenever she did. They never defined the terms of their relationship, but Hiccup had always assumed there was no need. Everyone else already believed them to be together, and Astrid never protested, so Hiccup went blissfully on believing he and Astrid had something special. They shared about a year of chaste kisses, warm smiles, lingering glances, and romantic sunset flights, or at least they started out romantic before Astrid would inevitably turn it into a competition and race Hiccup to one end of Berk and back. Then, with the turning of the seasons, Hiccup's happy illusion of young love slowly crumbled like a shoreline eroded by the raging sea of reality.

Astrid had finally matured enough that some of the older, more dashing, more…_Viking_ teens had begun to notice her. This had taken her by surprise because Astrid had never received any advances from anyone other than Snotlout, Hiccup, and the occasional brave attempt by Tuffnut; Fishlegs never dared. Now, suddenly she was being seen by older boys as the striking beautiful young maiden that Hiccup already knew her to be, but the change occurred because finally Astrid saw herself this way, too. It had never occurred to Astrid that anyone outside their age group would attempt to court her, but the option had suddenly become available, if she so desired to pursue it. Hiccup was not concerned with this revelation at first. In his mind, he and Astrid had a pretty solid thing going between them. What that thing was exactly, he could not define, but to him it was steady and it was sure.

Apparently Astrid never felt the same.

Their time together was filled less with talk of dragons and more and more with talk of boys of whom Hiccup neither knew, nor cared to know. Astrid never spoke of them in a giddy, love-struck sort of way. That was simply not her style. She instead spoke of various boys with a sense of admiration that she usually spared just for Hiccup and his accomplishments. She spoke of their style and demeanor and how appealing it was that, even in a time of peace, they still kept their battle skills sharp and their strength formidable. It was just so masculine…so _Viking_…so everything that Hiccup was not.

The jealousy began to well up inside of him and it formed a wedge that grew with each passing day. Astrid was caught up in the allure of fitting in with an older, more mature crowd. Eventually, the gazes ceased to linger, the smiles started to lose their familiar warmth, and the already unpredictable current of kisses dried up altogether. She still attended dragon training, and she was still Hiccup's closest riding partner, but it was obvious whatever spark there might have been had been snuffed out. Astrid was oblivious to the painful toll this was taking on Hiccup, or at least she seemed to be. She still considered him her closest _friend_ and confidant, and she would often seek him out to ask his advice as if the torment she was causing him was not plainly written all over his face. Hiccup still managed to keep their conversations light and friendly, as if he was dealing with any other Viking on Berk, even though he had stopped reciprocating her confiding of feelings and matters of the heart.

No one had ever bothered to inquire into what had exactly happened between them, but Hiccup was aware that the entire village knew that he and Astrid were not as close as they once had been. It was not customary for Vikings to have long, deep talks about feelings, punctuating a good cry by hugging it out, and Hiccup enjoyed the respect for his privacy and the right to safeguard his feelings. However, he noticed the stares as he walked by, and he noticed the low whispers that sounded oddly like his and Astrid's names. The only person that ever attempted to breach the subject was Hiccup's father, Stoick, who had grown a softer side towards his son in the wake of all that had happened since the siege on Dragon Island.

"Hiccup, a word?" Stoick asked one evening as Hiccup returned, exhausted from a long day helping Gobber at the forge; he had attempted to hammer out his frustrations on every project that had crossed his workbench and his muscles were feeling it.

"Dad...," Hiccup said wearily, "can't this wait until morning?"

He hoped avoiding his father's gaze as he made his way straight to the stairs would communicate to Stoick that he was in no mood to talk to anyone at the moment.

"Son, I…I know ye must have a lot on yer mind…," Stoick began, cautiously.

"That's the understatement of the year," Hiccup muttered bitterly under his breath.

Stoick ignored his sarcastic comment and continued, "But I want to make sure ye haven't lost perspective. It is important, as the future leader of our people, ye're able to maintain a level head no matter what…_personal issues_ ye're struggling with."

Hiccup knew, in Stoick's own way, that framing the conversation as concern over his son's ability to be an effective leader was his way to ask, without asking, if Hiccup was handling the whole situation with Astrid well. It would have been somewhat touching if the hurt Hiccup was feeling was not still so raw.

"I'm fine, Dad," Hiccup said firmly, leaving no doubt that this conversation was to go no further.

"But—"

Hiccup ducked around his father and climbed the stairs to his bedroom two at a time, shutting the door without another word. Toothless, who had been just dozing on his stone slab, opened his big green eyes and raised his head curiously as Hiccup flopped down onto his bed, eyes glued absentmindedly to the ceiling. At the soft rumbling of concern coming from his dragon, Hiccup raised his head and gave Toothless his best reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, bud."

Toothless narrowed his eyes a little, and Hiccup knew his dragon could see straight through him, too. Gods damn, he hated being so transparent…

There came a creaking on the stairs and the soft stud of footsteps and Hiccup knew his dad was thinking about coming to check on him. There was a brief silence in which Hiccup could picture his father standing right outside his bedroom door, fist raised, wrestling wither whether to knock or to leave Hiccup to his thoughts.

After another brief moment of quiet, Stoick softly said, "There are plenty of other dragons to tame, son…"

Hiccup groaned at his father's poor choice of an analogy and buried his face into his pillow, but then again, Stoick was not known for his eloquence. Hiccup sighed and listened as his father's footsteps retreated back downstairs, and though he would never admit it to the man, the small gesture of parental love and concern had been a real comfort in contrast to the whispers and pitying stares he normally got from others. He willed himself not to think of Astrid as he tried to lull himself to sleep to the sound of Toothless' slow, deep breathing; the dragon had already gone back to sleep. Naturally, the harder he tried to push thoughts of her out of his mind, the more permanently they lodged themselves there. Hiccup knew he was in for another rough night, but as he tried to fend off images of her hair, her eyes, her smile, he found new resolve. He would no longer be an object of sympathy. If Astrid could move on without him, he would have to learn to move on without her. Hiccup was no stranger to challenges. He met them, he overcame them, and Astrid Hofferson would be no different. And so that attempt by Stoick to discuss the deep wound Astrid had inflicted on his heart was the first and the last.

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**Author's Note:**More chapters to come very, very soon! Well, unless everyone just hates this, in which I will crawl back into my personal corner of the internet in shame. D,:

Sorry about typos, BTW. I tried to catch them as I typed this, but I was writing this pretty fast and furiously, so I'm sure I missed a few.


	2. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

**Author's Note:** I am so happy for even the two positive reviews I have received so far. :) As much as I like to write to get a story down that is just burning inside my head, it really makes it worth it when I can entertain other people.

I know Hiccup is kind of getting emotionally pummeled in the story, but I actually adore the guy so know that he'll get his, sooner or later. This was meant to be one chapter, but it was getting obscenely long. Like...stupid long. So I split it where I did to A) make it interesting and B) it was a good place to leave off for chapter 3. Which is already being cranked out.

Also sorry about the typos. I am terrible about them. I do try, though! Promise!

**Disclaimer:** Blah de blah, HTTYD not mine blah.

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Three years had passed, and like training any wild dragon, it had been a slow, careful, and calculated process, but Hiccup had finally managed to squash the pain and the longing for the love he had buried down into the deepest pits of his heart. He had taught himself to laugh freely again, to hold his head high and walk tall around the other villagers and his friends. The whispers stopped following him and the pitying stares were no longer tracing his every move. To anyone who looked at him, Hiccup was growing into the confident leader Berk would someday be proud to call their own. He was older now, a little taller, a littler broader, his features more defined, but he was still considered to be thin and lanky, especially compared to Snotlout and Fishlegs. Hiccup would wager both boys would soon rival Meatlug in weight. No, he would never be their size, but he was thankful for it. He had learned to make peace long ago with the way he was, and he supposed Toothless was also grateful with the lack of extra weight to carry around.

"Hiccup!" A familiar voice called out, snapping him back to the moment.

He glanced up to see Astrid running towards him battle ax in hand.

_Great_. He thought exasperatedly. _Perfect._

It was not that he grew to dislike the Hofferson girl in his attempt to get over her, but keep his emotions in check around her was exhausting, and he never exactly leapt at the chance to be put in that situation. Yes, he had learned to cope with Astrid's attraction to boys two to three years her senior, but he didn't want to stand around _talking_ about it. Especially not with her. He inhaled bracingly, eyeing the ax in her hand and praying to Thor she had brought him a task he could occupy himself with as she prattled on about so-and-so, what's-his-name, and who-gives-a-Gronkle's-arse. That way he could only half-listen, chiming in with "mhmm," and "yeah," wherever appropriate to give the impression that he was intently listening. He just was not in the mood for small talk today, since he already had to leave his dragon academy in the hands of Fishlegs for the afternoon while he filled in for Gobber, who was tending to a hideous Zippleback with a pretty nasty overbite. What Gobber planned to do about it, Hiccup did not know. All he knew was that he was married to the forge for the rest of that delightful summer's day.

As for the academy, it was not that Hiccup did not trust Fishlegs. On the contrary, Hiccup considered Fishlegs, next to himself, the most competent individual for leading a dragon training workshop for the youngest Vikings of Berk, new to the dragon training fold. However, Hiccup did not trust Fishlegs to have any sort of control over Snotlout or the twins when neither he, nor Astrid, were around for the extra support. He wondered if the children of Berk would get to enjoy a class at all, or if they would just be treated to mayhem and destruction as the twins and Snotlout remained unchecked.

Hiccup shook that mental image out of his head and turned his attention to Astrid who stood patiently at the window, ax outstretched.

"I need it sharpened again," Astrid admitted, almost apologetically.

"Again?" Hiccup mused, raising his eyebrows. "You must bring it in here at least once a week."

"I know, I _know_," Astrid sighed. "But the guys just insist on this ridiculous amount of target practice, to keep the skills fresh, y'know? I just want the blade to stay sharp, so I can keep up. My ax is lighter. It's not as durable and it wears down faster."

"So get a stronger ax?" Hiccup suggested.

Astrid swatted playfully at him with her free hand and replied, "Got any Gronkle iron just lying around? I may take you up on that."

"Yeah. Not happening," Hiccup said.

"Well, then what are you going to do about this?" She asked, nodding down at the ax in her hand.

Hiccup took it from her and silently examined the amount of wear and tear on the blade.

"You should see them in action, Hiccup!" Astrid blurted out suddenly, and Hiccup knew instantly to whom she was referring. "It's amazing! I thought my combat skills were something, but I never knew there were guys out there that could fight like _this_! I guess I never knew because by the time we were learning to apply those skills—"

"Against dragons," Hiccup reminded her.

"—these guys were already out there—"

"Killing dragons," Hiccup said, a little more forcefully this time.

An awkward silence settled between them, not that it was anything unusual. It was the normal result of Astrid carrying on about her new "crowd", seeking Hiccup's approval of her new social circle for reasons lost on him. He did not understand why she cared much for his opinions anymore, to be honest. No matter how hard she tried to convince him there was something redeeming in this group of older teens that relished in the violence and bloodshed of old, he always failed to see it.

"Yeah, but Hiccup…just because they like to hone their fighting skills doesn't mean they _do_ that anymore. No one does. The past is over with, just let it go," Astrid said softly.

Hiccup gave a faint laugh in return and said, "There's a lot of things I've learned to let go of, Astrid."

Astrid studied him for a moment, as if she was trying to decide whether or not he had implied something by that last comment.

"Don't worry. I will have this back to you in no time," Hiccup said breaking the silence, taking the ax over to the workbench.

Even as he deliberately turned his back to Astrid he could feel her gaze boring into the back of his skull as he worked, like she was trying see straight through him. Hiccup continued to sharpen the ax, paying her no mind, but he nearly sliced his finger off when she said:

"Well, I suppose that's good then…that you've let the past go. I was worried for a minute you might be upset when Stronggut Svenson and I enter into a marriage contract next month."

Hiccup spun around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. Astrid stood there, outside the window, gazing at him intently, searching him for some kind…any kind of reaction—but what could he say? That he protested? On what grounds? There was no love between them anymore—not that there ever really had been on Astrid's side of the equation, anyway. There was nothing but a forced cordiality to define their relationship now. A peaceful, amiable coexistence. They barely even flew together anymore. If it did happen, it was because they just happened to cross paths in midflight, and the time together was short lived because one of them was always making an excuse to dip out of the silent fly-alongs.

Whatever Hiccup wanted to say or shout just then he knew would ultimately amount to nothing more than ripping off old scabs and letting his heart bleed out. He was not about to give Astrid the satisfaction. With the greatest effort he managed a small smile and said a simple, "Congratulations."

Astrid's expression hardened. Perhaps Hiccup was not as convincing as he had hoped.

"Yeah? You're actually…happy for me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course!" Hiccup replied, injecting more enthusiasm into his voice in an attempt to sound more sincere. He made quick work of sharpening up Astrid's ax. When he had completed the job he handed the ax back to her and added, "Why wouldn't I be happy for you?"

Astrid's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to retort, but suddenly thought better of it and closed it again, examining her ax instead.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked.

"Nothing. My gift to you…for the uh, whole marriage…thing."

"Thanks, Hiccup," she said in a reserved tone of voice.

Hiccup did not understand it. Here she was, seeming to boast about her upcoming union with the Svenson guy just a minute ago. Now there she stood, looking positively disheartened and…not Astrid. Had he said something to upset her? What could he have—no. Hiccup was not going to let himself go down that road. He did not pretend to understand Astrid Hofferson's motivations or her feelings, if she even had any. He was not going to let himself get sucked back in, to care. Her feelings, good or bad, were not his concern anymore. They no longer confided in eachother. Those days of mutual vulnerability were long gone. Astrid was Svenson's problem now.

"Have a good day, Astrid," Hiccup said brightly. "And I mean it, really. Congratulations."

Without another word he turned his back to her and pretended to busy himself with another project until she was well out of sight. When and only when he was sure she was gone and he was alone, did Hiccup shakily let out the breath he was holding as he sank to his knees feeling like all the air had been stolen from his lungs, stolen from the whole world.

He had tried. Thor, how he had _tried_. For three long years! He finally was winning, too! Winning the unrelenting battle with his weak heart and vulnerable soul. Maybe in another week or two, he could have started looking at other girls the way he used to look at Astrid. The pain had never vanished but like the dull aches he occasionally had where his flesh met the prosthetic, he had learned to at least live with it! Deal with it. Manage it! Then, out of nowhere, Astrid delivers a fatal blow to his heart like a lightening bolt from Thor himself! Why did she get to do that? To toy with him over and over again whenever she felt she needed the amusement! When did she decide she had the _right?_ Why could she not leave him alone? Would she always kick him while he was down?

Suddenly, it was much too hot and much too hard to breathe. Hiccup gathered himself up, doused all the fires and tore off his smithy's apron like it was in flames. He knew he was under orders from Gobber to watch the shop in his absence, but he did not care. No one was going to die with the forge closed for one day. Hiccup however, might just die if he did not escape. He needed to be away from Berk. Away from everyone. Away from _her._

He ran into the village center and cupped his hands around his mouth and called for Toothless. In an instant, the dragon was by his side. Hiccup effortlessly leapt into the saddle and locked his prosthetic foot into the tail fin mechanism.

"I need you to get me out of here, Toothless," he told the dragon, patting his thick leathery hide. "As fast and as far as you can, bud."

The dragon let out a small roar of acknowledgement as he stretched his wings for flight.

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Astrid did not know what to think. There was a maelstrom of emotions swirling about inside her and to grasp hold of one was like trying to keep water trapped in her cupped hands. Had she been wrong about Hiccup this whole time? They had grown distant in the past few years, but it was not her fault! It was not at all what she had wanted. After everything that had transpired with the Red Death, there were a lot of transitions to be made. It was a time of peace but also one of uncertainty as Vikings and dragons learned to cohabitate after centuries of violence and bloodshed. The only thing Astrid knew was that she had grown to care for Hiccup, more than she dared to admit to anyone, even to the boy himself. Hiccup was the key to everything—to making this new world, this new life, this new age work. To making _her _work.

Before the changes Berk's new peacetime brought, she loved being thought of as strong, confident, and independent. It was an image she worked tirelessly at. An image, at the time, she needed everyone to believe, especially herself. Living in a land of wild and vicious dragons that could kill you at any moment, Astrid learned quick she had to be tough. If she was scared, don't let it show. If she was sad, bury the pain. Hurt? Suck it up! Astrid had to be hard, even though she did not want to be—not _all _the time. Then there was Hiccup. The antithesis of everything she knew to be Viking. He was small, he was slender, he was neat, he was vulnerable, he was…intelligent. And for all the training, the years of honing herself and closing herself off to anything that might portray weakness, Hiccup had come along in all his imperfect vulnerable glory and had tamed a Night Fury, destroyed the Red Death, and ended 300 years of brutal, senseless killing. He had changed the world by being _sensitive_ and Gods, if Astrid did not envy him for it. Hiccup wore no mask. Hiccup was Hiccup for nobody but himself. And for a short time when the dust had settled—for a short, glorious time, Astrid had him to herself. If she had known that she had him for only a year, things would have been different. Instead of letting him chip away at her rough exterior one day at a time, Astrid would have demolished the whole wall she had built up around herself and given into him completely. She would have cried, which no one ever saw her do, and she would have apologized in advance for the pain she was going to cause him. _Because_, she would have told him,_ even if it was all going to come to an end, for that one year, for those precious, numbered days, she was his and he was hers. It was right, and it was _good.

Astrid felt the sting of tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat, but she did not cry. Hiccup had never gotten the chance to peel those last few layers away. Now, it seemed he never would, because they were over. Over before they had even had a chance to start. Astrid still remembered the day her parents confronted her with the news that would forever change her relationship with Hiccup.

She had just come home from a night flight around Berk, with Hiccup in fact, but she was not about to tell her parents that they had been alone. It was not exactly proper, even though they were young and Astrid knew Hiccup would never dare to cross any lines. Her parents were just learning to like and appreciate Hiccup for who he was, as was the rest of Berk, and she did not want to give them any reason to doubt his integrity.

When she entered the house, both her parents were sitting by the hearth, staring pensively into the flames that danced there. They gave a start when she cleared her throat and announced she was home. She could tell from their expressions that something was wrong and they gestured for her to sit down beside them. She complied.

She remembered feelings of concern, turning into feelings of dread, to feelings of anger, rage, and repulsion, to feelings of desperation, and finally, when she learned she could not change her fate, feelings of sadness and defeat. What her parents had explained to her that night was that she could no longer continue a relationship with the Chief's son. She had been, at the time of her birth, promised to the first born son of the Svenson clan, provided both children survived the dragon onslaught and made it to adulthood. At the time, long life was not a guaranteed thing for men on Berk. Dragons saw to that. More women survived due to the number that remained home to tend to the village and children while the men went off on expeditions to find the elusive dragons' nest. Since women often found themselves widowed, families often arranged marriages at the time of birth or early childhood to ensure their girls had the best chance for a future, since their marriages had a good chance of being cut short. Love matches were occasionally made, but these usually occurred after one or both individuals had already lost a spouse. When marriages were arranged, politics always came into play. Which families had the most money, the most power, the most desirable traits to ensure any children produced had greater survivability. The Hoffersons and the Svensons were Viking families of repute on Berk, and naturally, the match was made.

When peace came, many of these old traditions were gladly done away with, but more traditional families still upheld the practices. The Svensons were such a family. Tried as they might, the Hoffersons could not deter them from pursuing the marriage contract that had been drawn up fifteen years ago. No reason was given for their rigid stance on the issue, but it was speculated they wanted the greater status and influence the Hofferson clan enjoyed. The Hoffersons had given their word, drawn it up on parchment. In Berk, words were binding. Astrid did not want to believe it. She thought it was all some cruel trick, and her parents' reassuring words fell on deaf ears. Astrid did not want to hear it. She stormed out of the house, across the village square, and up the hill towards Hiccup's house, but as she approached the Haddock domicile, her pace slowed considerably and her mind began to race.

What was she even going to tell Hiccup? Where would she start? Could she beg the Chief for his influence in her favor? Surely he would do it, for Hiccup. But no, she knew their Chief was the authority on many things, but he would only interfere in matters like these if one family tried to back out or felt like they were being cheated. The Svenson and the Hoffersons were two families with such respected reputations, that a long-standing agreement between the two of them would have to be respected by Stoick. Then she wondered…was Hiccup promised to anyone?

She was standing still outside the front door. She could hear voices on the other side. Hiccup was so close and surely he could think of some solution? He always had an answer, right? But this…no. There was nothing he could say or do to fix this. Her parents were sure to impart on her the finality of the whole arrangement. This was bigger than both of them. So Astrid succumbed to reason, and she turned her back to the Haddock household and returned home, defeated. The mighty Astrid, rendered powerless by a mere piece of parchment drafted before she could even crawl. It was not fair.

Astrid turned to her parents, both watching her with sorrowful eyes, full of guilt and unspoken apologies. It was never supposed to be like this. Astrid was never supposed to fall in love. She was a warrior. She was a Viking. This was life. This is how things were done—had always been done….until now…and now still .

She turned to her parents, resigned to her new fate, and asked, "So, what am I to do now?"

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**Author's Note: **After I post this I am going right back to chapter 3. At least I am productive when I'm sick. Please show me some love. :)


	3. Everywhere and Nowhere

**Author's Note:** Thank you everyone for the positive reviews and encouragement! It only motivates me to continue, knowing others are invested in this story as well. I PROMISE this story isn't going to be soul-crushing from start to finish. That's just exhausting. Plus, I do love me some Hiccstrid.

SORRY FOR TYPOS!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HTTYD or any of it's characters. I would be so super rich right now if I did.

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That was it. The beginning of the end of her and Hiccup. She slowly began to distance herself from him and became acquainted with the older teens on the island, including her new fiancée. Ugh, the words were bitter in her mouth. Yet, this had to become her new normal. This was going to be her life, her new social circle, after all.

She resisted it at first, and longed to be by Hiccup's side every chance she got, but eventually she learned to accept her new place among these older, gruffer teens. Stronggut, her groom-to-be, was not terribly bad looking, but Astrid often caught herself comparing him to Hiccup. Much to her surprise, or maybe it was not really that surprising, depending on how one looked at it, she found she still preferred Hiccup to Stronggut in almost every way. There was, however, one big redeeming quality that Stronggut had. He could fight. She could fight. They could fight, together. He taught her moves, she taught him stealth. They swapped battle stories and scouted new places to improve their skills. It was a refreshing change of pace and it made her time with her new circle of friends more tolerable.

Conversely, as one relationship grew, the other faltered. Hiccup seemed more annoyed than anything else when she brought up Stronggut and his gang, and though dragon slaying was in the past, Stronggut and his friends did not care much for training dragons and listening to tales of Hiccup's accomplishments. Astrid was at war between two sides of herself and she felt guilty. She was afraid of stringing Hiccup along, but any romantic spark between them had long since fizzled out. She was also afraid of disappointing her family and her soon-to-be in-laws and soon ceased participating in dragon training at the academy altogether. It was her withdrawal from that side of herself that severed one of the last ties of true friendship she had to Hiccup and her old friends. It should have hurt her more, but Astrid tried to numb that half of herself. She knew that any pain she felt in relation to Hiccup was too deep and too raw to handle, so she just shut it out completely. She was Astrid Hofferson, and she was tough. She would not cry. She would not hurt. She would be strong…and so her walls built back up.

The years passed. Astrid could not recall at what point she and Hiccup's pretending to be indifferent morphed into actual indifference. Or at least, she believed she was indifferent. Hiccup did not seem to care anymore, so why should she? Then, just when she was on the verge of forgetting him completely, he would catch her eye walking in the village, or across the Great Hall during meals. He would always look away in a manner that tormented the recesses of Astrid's mind with doubt. Did Hiccup actually have feelings for her still? Her heart fluttered at the thought, but then sharp reality set back in. What difference would his feelings make? She had since learned that Hiccup _was _entered into a marriage contract at his birth but as he grew into, well…Hiccup, the other family had recanted their offer—Stoick had made no objections. Bet that family is kicking themselves now, Astrid laughed inwardly. Hiccup had no idea, though. He was blissfully unaware that how free he was to love now. Many of the teens were, and many of the girls, who would have rather snogged a yak than be caught dead snogging Hiccup only a few short years ago, now found him quite appealing.

This annoyed Astrid greatly, because they only desired him for what he represented, not who he _was_. It was true, the years had only been kind to Hiccup. He was not an awkward, lanky boy anymore. He was becoming a man, and quite a handsome one at that. He was not, in any sense, the traditional Viking definition of attractive, but then again, Hiccup had never been one for traditions. He made his own, and the girls of the village were taking notice. Hiccup, oblivious to the effect he had on young ladies, kept mostly to himself nowadays. Occasionally, Astrid would see him up at Gobber's shop, filling in, but mostly Hiccup poured his time into the dragon academy, training to be the new chief one day, and as always, Toothless. Nevertheless, girls tried to get close to him, and he would ward off their advances in his sweetest, most humble, Hiccup-y way. He never seemed to give in to celebrity and let it go to his head. Hiccup was just not a vain individual.

Astrid sighed, watching him get up from the table in the Great Hall where he sat, eating his lunch, alone. She wanted to go speak to him, but he never seemed interested in what she had to say. She was stuck in a world of outdated traditions and Hiccup was the embodiment of progress. There was no reconciliation that could be made anymore. No small talk to bridge the gap that now divided their lives. Still, she longed to call out to him. To let him know she was still there and that yes, she still thought of him, and there was a small part of her that she dared to let miss him…but only a little for fear it would consume her if it grew too large.

Hiccup stopped to talk to Fishlegs briefly before briskly making his way out of the great hall into the summer sun. Astrid made up her mind to follow him. She was not sure what compelled her to do so, but she knew that the announcement of her coming marriage to Stronggut would soon be the talk of Berk—they had managed to keep it quiet until now. She was not sure why she felt like she had to be the one to tell Hiccup. Did she owe it to him? As friends? As mutually indifferent acquaintances? Gods, was she just wanting to see the look on his face? To search it desperately for any flickering trace of feelings for her? Did…did Hiccup feel anything, anymore?

She caught up with him, filling in for Gobber and looking positively miserable about it. He glanced up as he saw her coming, the expression on his face was unreadable. Was he happy to see her? Was he annoyed? She could not tell anymore. Hiccup was such a stranger to her now. She attempted to make small talk, giving some feeble excuse that her ax blade was dull and in need of sharpening…again. Which was a lie, and she knew upon examining the blade that he would know. He never pressed the issue, though. Hiccup did not invite more conversation between them than he felt was necessary. She told him about the only thing she could—her life with Stronggut and his friends. She tried to make it sound wonderful so he would catch on that she missed him. Missed dragons. Missed everything about the old life she had. Even fighting and training, which had been fun and nostalgic at first, had grown dull and repetitive. With Hiccup, things used to be new. Things stayed exciting. Hiccup was interesting, her new fiancée was two-dimensional, but she would never let him _know _that.

As she talked, playing up her life and how great it was, Hiccup seemed to become increasingly frustrated with her. He seemed to disapprove of everything in her life, and she could not blame him, though she did not think it was entirely fair. It was not like she had a choice in the matter. At least she was making an effort to be happy about it.

Hiccup gave a dry, hollow laugh and said, "There are a lot of things I've learned to let go of, Astrid."

His demeanor, his body language remained casual, but there was a look of sadness and regret in those deep green eyes of his, and it haunted her. She wondered what he meant. Them? Well obviously he had to do that eventually. They were not ever going to be a couple, that much was a given. Did he let go of everything about them? Was it a conscious choice that Hiccup made for them to grow apart? Why would he do that? The romantic spark between them had died a long time ago. Why would he feel the need to keep driving them further into the dirt? What was he playing at?

His back was to her now as he sharpened her ax. It would not take much longer, since there was not much of a need for it to be sharpened in the first place. When he was finished Hiccup would hastily retreat into another project, she knew. He always was eager to end their conversations.

There was something desperate bubbling up inside her as she watched him work. She felt, somehow, that Hiccup was slipping away from her. There he was, standing only a few feet from her, and yet he was pulling further and further away, like a ship slowly drifting out to sea with the tide. She did not know what to do to stop him, or if, Odin help her, he even could be stopped. She needed to know if there was something, anything that still yearned for her in his heart. She felt like this was it, her one chance to get some kind of reaction out of him. If she could just get him to react, she could manage it. Maybe she could try to fix this somehow. Maybe she just needed the opportunity to say the right thing, to bring Hiccup back to her. Because she needed him. It was weak, it was cruel, it was selfish, but she needed him. It might wrong, and it might hurt, but they would hurt together. Hurting was better than being cold and dead inside, was it not? Hurting meant you were still alive, you still _felt_.

So, she said it. She told him about the marriage and held her breath as he whipped around. At first, he looked shocked and confused. Then, as realization seemed to dawn on him that he had indeed heard her correctly, Hiccup smiled and Astrid's heart plummeted to the floor. She did not know what reaction she had expected out of him, but it certainly was not a genuine "congratulations." Her breath quickened. _Why was he happy about this?_

"Yeah? You're actually…happy for me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be happy for you?" He replied, politely confused at her question.

She opened her mouth to say a number of things, including: "You love me somewhere deep down in that frozen heart of yours?", "Because it really should be you and not him?", "Because this whole Gods damn situation is unfair!" However, she bit her tongue and said nothing, reclaiming her ax from him. They exchanged only a few more sentences and Hiccup turned away from her, returning back to his work as he so often did when he silently dismissed her. In that moment Astrid realized something, quite plainly. They were not Astrid and Hiccup, the two youths who tamed dragons and defended Berk by day and stole kisses and took romantic dragon flights by night. He was the Chief's son and she was another village girl. That was all they were to each other now.

If Thor had struck her with a thousand lightning bolts it would not have hurt as badly as that moment did, right then.

Astrid turned on her heels and _ran_. She dropped her battle ax on the ground somewhere along the way as she raced to Stormfly's stable, but she could not be bothered to care. The bird-like Nadder perked up as its rider burst into the stable. The Nadder was used to seeing her upset, but even Stormfly had never seen her like this. Astrid paced back a forth wildly for a moment, tangling her fingers desperately in her golden hair. Her chest was heaving and dry sobs wracked her body—dry sobs, because Astrid did not cry, after all.

She had done this. This was her fault, she realized. She was the antagonist, the instigator. A little blonde maelstrom of neatly compacted feminine rage. She left messes and hurt feelings in her wake, but Hiccup had always been there to clean up those messes. To pick up the pieces of what she destroyed. To repair and to pacify. Now he was nowhere. Hiccup was everywhere, and nowhere at the same time and it was maddening. Astrid felt like she could not think and she could not breathe. She had to get out. Had to escape. If this was a mess that neither she nor Hiccup could repair, then she wanted to be as from it as possible. She practically tore Stormfly's saddle off the wall in desperation.

The dragon eyed her hesitantly.

"It's okay, girl," Astrid said, her voice choking back tears she would not shed. "We're just going on a little trip. Just for a few hours. I just need to get away from Berk right now. That doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

Stormfly considered Astrid for a moment before determining this was what her human needed, in that uncanny way that dragons just seemed to _know_ things.

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	4. Games People Play

**Author's Note:** Woo! Chapter four! Rolling right along, people. Thank you to the readers who've stuck with me thus far. Things are finally going to start getting resolved.

Complete with typos. Don't hate. I've been up all night.

**Disclaimer: **HTTYD, yeah. Don't own it. Sure would be nice, though.

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Hiccup had no idea how far they had traveled or even how long they had been airborne. He was a hostage of his own torrent of thought. His muscles acted on their own accord as he shifted the gears controlling Toothless' tail fin. It was all second nature to him by this point, like breathing.

A soft rumbling from Toothless brought Hiccup momentarily to his senses and the young man glanced down at his loyal dragon companion. Toothless was glancing down at the very familiar island below then expectantly back up at Hiccup. He wanted to land at this island—Dragon Island, the scene of one of his proudest accomplishments. It was the place where their destinies were shaped, their lives, and the lives of their respective races, forever changed. Toothless was by no means tired. He could fly much, much further. They had done it countless times, but the mount's intuition suggested his rider was in distress. Hiccup agreed, he was not exactly in control at the moment, and therefore not prone to making the wisest of decisions. Toothless and Hiccup both thought it best they did not venture further.

"You're right, bud," Hiccup said, patting Toothless' side. "We'll set down here. There's not a soul for miles."

They dived toward the black sand beaches of the volcanic island that Toothless and scores of other dragons once called home. The landing was smooth, as usual and Hiccup dismounted effortlessly. He absentmindedly combed his fingers through his wind-tossed hair. His dragon watched him expectantly.

"Uh, Toothless…why don't you go catch some dinner or something? I just need a few minutes, okay?"

Toothless snorted in disapproval and Hiccup turned and raised his eyebrows at the dragon in an expression that clearly read _Oh, really?_ Toothless growled but reluctantly granted his human's request, and with a twitching of his ear nubs, the dragon wandered off in search of something small to chase, leaving Hiccup alone with his thoughts. Until that point, Hiccup had never fully understood the oxymoronic phrase "silence is deafening", but in that moment, all that could be heard in Toothless' absence was the distant squawking of the seagulls and the gentle rhythmic rolling of the waves. There was nothing to block out the flashes of images and painful echoes of words exchanged. It was almost overwhelming the way his own brain was assaulting him with difficult memories of times he had shared with Astrid and the things they had said, good and bad, all molded together in one big jumble of raw, unfiltered emotion.

Gods, he did not know how to make _sense_ of it anymore. The way she used to kiss him, all the smiles, laughs, and inside jokes they had shared as the dragon academy had gone through its growing pains. All the times they had saved one another's skin. That was when things seemed simple. For the first time Hiccup could say he was truly happy. He felt like he finally belonged. Like he was one of his people. Then it all seemed to change on a dime. Astrid found a new interest. A _love_ interest. Someone who appealed to her rougher, Viking side. Something Hiccup knew he could never do. He was becoming increasingly embraced by his own tribe, which he would one day come to lead. Yet, he felt increasingly alone, even with the praise and accolades. Astrid was rejecting him and she had been the center of his world since she had been a willing part of it. If she was rejecting him, his whole world was rejecting him. He had managed to cope, he did. He was putting his life back together finally when she told him, out of the blue, she was getting _married? _And she had been almost _smug_ about it. Was she trying to get a rise out of him? Gah! He fought the urge to throw up.

Hiccup walked down to the water's edge where the waves were lapping at the black sand. He found some small stones deposited there and decided to try his hand at skipping stones. He had never been very good at it, but it was something to do to occupy his time. He began skimming them off the top of the dark water.

He felt like an idiot, letting Astrid play him for so long like she had. Giving him a glimmer of hope before mercilessly yanking it away and giving it to Stronggut Svenson. Hiccup had always been adaptable. That was one of his many strengths. When there was a problem facing him, he either overcame it or found a new solution. With Astrid, he could do neither. He was stuck. Stuck in this miserable place where he could neither have her, nor move on without her. There was no adapting to the situation he was in. It was what it was, and what it was…was pretty Gods damn miserable.

Hiccup let out a frustrated groan and chucked the last stone a little too forcefully; it sank through the surface of the water with a loud _splash_. He gave a defeated sigh and sank down on the black sand, grabbing a hand full before watching it sift slowly between his fingers. He had an illness, he concluded. There was no cure and he was either going to die from it, or go mad from it. When it came to "her," he had no answers. He was lost. It was a very lonely and disheartening feeling. He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. He wanted to switch his brain off. He didn't want to think or feel, he just wanted to _be._

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Astrid was passing by the other side of Dragon Island where some of the bones of the Red Death remained twisted and mangled as they rose from the ground like some kind of other-worldly sculpture. Dragon Island was a pretty secluded place nowadays, since the wild dragons had all relocated to new islands along the archipelago upon being freed from the Red Death's control. She decided it was as good a place as any to be alone for a few hours, and so she guided Stormfly towards the beach and slid off the dragon's back.

She felt small and helpless as she stared out across the vast ocean which surrounded her. These were two feelings that Astrid Hofferson did not like to feel, but here in the isolation of an abandoned island, she felt like she could admit it…but only secretly and internally to herself, disgusted and ashamed all the same though there was no one around to bear witness.

Oh why had she not told Hiccup the truth all those years ago? Why had she turned away from his house that night three years ago? At the time, it seemed like a good idea, like she was protecting him from the pain of the truth…but that had not been entirely true. She had convinced herself that a slow burning of the bridges between them was what was necessary to make it easier on them both. A slow, controlled burn, like Gronkle's fire, could minimize the damage, only destroying what was necessary, protecting what did not yet need to be sacrificed. Yet, what she had not realized at the time, was that it was _all _necessary. Every connection she shared with Hiccup was like a lifeline he had extended just for her. She realized she never told him the truth that night because _she_ was afraid. She was afraid of losing him all at once, that she could not handle it, but that would have been impossible. He would have known the truth. He would have still cared for her. He would have been more likely to _understand_. No, all she did was protect her own heart, letting him go little by little when she was ready. She did what was best for her, Hiccup's feelings be damned.

Astrid buried her face in her hands, willing herself to cry, to release something, anything that would ease the burden of the pain and guilt at what she had done to the only person who had truly loved her. She did not deserve him. She knew it. Hiccup knew it. That was why he gave up on her, cast her aside, was it not?

"He's gone, Stormfly. I've lost him and it is my own stupid, selfish fault!" Astrid whispered into her hands.

Her dragon squawked and fidgeted behind her, nudging her excitedly between the shoulder blades. Astrid tried to shoo the dragon away with a dismissive wave, but Stormfly was persistent.

"What?" Astrid asked quietly.

Stormfly was staring off to the right, gaze fixed on a small crevasse between two massive boulders, which Astrid assumed had been dislodged during the epic battle against the Red Death. A large black creature merged from the opening, snout pressed to the ground, trailing some kind of game.

"T-Tooth…less?" Astrid asked in disbelief.

The black dragon perked up at the mention of his name, and fierce cat-like pupils rounded to a more friendly shape at the sight of Astrid and Stormfly.

"Toothless!" Astrid exclaimed, hurrying towards the dragon.

Toothless bounded towards her excitedly, spraying her with black sand as he skidded to a halt in front of her. Astrid coughed and sputtered, brushing the sand out of her hair and face.

"If you're here…" she began slowly, patting the dragon on his thick, muscular neck. "…then Hiccup must be too!"

Toothless gazed down at her curiously, his ear nubs twitched inquisitively at the sound of his human's name.

Astrid felt conflicted. She wanted to see Hiccup very much, to explain everything. Confess everything! To throw herself into his arms and breakdown like she had been wanting to do for years. But she was not so sure Hiccup wanted to see her. He had moved on, right? How could anything she would say make any difference to him? Not to mention it would not make the impending union between Stronggut and her evaporate.

Astrid turned her blue eyes back to Toothless' colossal green ones. The dragon seemed to be waiting patiently for her to make up her mind. How did dragons just _know_ these things? Toothless purred deep in his throat and gave her a gentle nudge of encouragement.

"Okay," Astrid said resolutely. "I want to talk to Hiccup. Will you lead me to him?"

0000

Hiccup had not stirred for the past twenty minutes or so. There were a couple of moments where he had nearly fallen asleep to the lullaby of the waves rolling into the shoreline. His mind had finally seemed to still, and the internal quiet was very welcomed. His brow furrowed with the sound of approaching footsteps. Very large, very heavy footsteps.

"Hey, bud," Hiccup said weakly, not lifting his head. "Did you find anything?"

Toothless let out a long, low sound of concern and Hiccup managed to look up at his dragon companion and smile.

"I'll be okay, Toothless. I just—"

But Hiccup never finished that thought. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another dragon approach. A predominantly blue and yellow Deadly Nadder he recognized at once. He felt like his heart had been grabbed by an iron fist. If Stormfly was here, then that meant… And sure enough, there she was. Walking alongside Stormfly tall and proud, silhouetted against the setting sun, practically blazing in the orange and gold sunlight like the fierce Viking maiden she was. The sight of Astrid caused Hiccup to feel like he had been doused in a bucket of ice water. He immediately rose to his feet, brushing the sand off his leather riding garb, determinedly avoiding her gaze.

"Hiccup," Astrid said his name softly—much too softly than should be allowed when she was addressing him. "I need to talk to you about—"

"Personally, I feel like we have done all the talking that is needed for the next year, Astrid, at least," Hiccup said flatly.

_Gods, why was she there?_ Could he never get away from this woman? He never thought a person could feel so much love and hate in their soul at the same time.

"Hiccup. I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now," She said.

"Yep. That about sums that up," Hiccup said, reaching for Toothless, but the dragon had slipped well out of his reach in the interim, leaving him to face the object of his torment alone. _So much for loyal dragon companion_, Hiccup thought bitterly. Toothless was apparently in on this whole set-up as well.

"There's something I've been dying to tell you for so, so long!" Astrid pleaded.

"Oh, like you're getting married to Stronggut Svenson, because I believe we've already covered that," Hiccup replied with biting sarcasm.

Astrid just blinked at him, taken aback.

"Y-you…Are you…a_ngry_?" She asked.

"Yes, Astrid. I'm angry," Hiccup seethed. "Satisfied?"

The angrier he got the more bewildered Astrid seemed to be.

"Why?"

"Well, maybe it's because you led me on for a solid year before completely dropping me like a rotten dragon's egg! Or maybe it was how you tormented me for years with tales of your blossoming love for Stronggut. Or maybe it was how, just when I was finally getting over you, you always managed to find a way to knock my legs out from under me again. I mean, Gods, Astrid! Did you ever stop and think about what you were doing to me? Doing to your friends?"

Astrid still seemed to be missing the point. "Hold on," she said firmly. "What do you mean I 'led you on?'"

Hiccup actually laughed incredulously at that, running his fingers through his shaggy auburn hair in disbelief. "Odin Allfather, Astrid! Those kisses! The night flying? The talking, the laughing, the smiling—all of it! It may have meant nothing to you, but at the time, it was everything to me!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Astrid hissed; it was her turn to be angry. "I wasn't leading you on! I meant_ all_ of that stuff!"

"Then how could you have just so easily discarded it all, huh? Tell, me Astrid!" Hiccup demanded, gripping her firmly by the shoulders.

"It wasn't easy!" Astrid protested.

Hiccup scoffed and released her, beginning to walk away.

"DON'T. Walk. Away. From me, Haddock!" Astrid warned. "I have waited too long to talk to you—to tell you everything! To make you _understand_!"

She grasped at Hiccup's wrist and he wrenched it out of her hand.

"Understand, what? Why you feel the need to twist the knife in just a little bit deeper?"

"Hiccup—" Astrid started, pleadingly.

"No. _NO._ I refuse to keep doing this Astrid!"

"Doing _what_, Hiccup?"

"Playing these games with you! I'm tired, alright? I'm done! You've won, okay? I have nothing left for you to take from me! You've had your fun, so just leave me alone. Why do you _insist _on causing me more pain? I'm over this! I'm over you!"

The look on Astrid's face was becoming increasingly desperate.

"Hiccup, I was never trying to hurt you…"

"So leaving me and the gang…that was your idea of a fun prank, right?"

"No! I-I didn't _leave_…I mean, I didn't want to. I didn't have a choice!"

"Stronggut's muscles were just that enticing, huh?" Hiccup asked bitterly.

"No!"

"You know what hurts the most, Astrid? The lying. I'm done with your lies! Why can't you just admit the truth?"

"Hiccup…"

"That the reason you left—"

"Hiccup, please—"

"—Was because I was NEVER going to be good enough for you!"

Hiccup's voice rang loud and clear across the beach, followed immediately by another one of those deafening silences. The two teens just stared each other down. Astrid in dumbfounded silence, Hiccup in unrelenting anger and hurt.

"It never mattered _what_ I did," he continued, the volume of his voice dropping a considerable bit. "You never seemed to care. It was all so easily forgotten. All you seemed to care about was _him_, because you told me so. Every day. I had finally achieved so much and everyone in Berk finally accepted me for who I was and you…you made me feel like I was _nothing _again. Because the only opinion that mattered was yours….because I loved…_love_ you."

There. It was out now. The root of all the hurt. The words they exchanged today were going to have consequences, good or bad. Hiccup knew this and yet he did not care. This storm had been looming on the horizon for far too long. It was time to face it head on, and he was no longer afraid. Astrid was going to wed some other young man, and so Hiccup no longer felt like he had anything to lose in these games of the heart people play.

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	5. For The Love of Scandal

**Author's Note: **This is probably the last chapter I'll post for a a day or so. I do have to sleep sometime...and more importantly I have to work Monday so I can afford to sit here a write fan fiction in my spare time.

**Disclaimer: **HTTYD is not owned by me or I would be working on movies right now, y'all.

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Astrid was rooted to the spot, staring at Hiccup, not knowing _what_ to say. Green eyes were staring back at her, angry, hurt, anxious…_defiant_—she could not exactly tell what was going on it Hiccup's mind at that moment.

All she knew, was she had been so utterly and completely wrong about him, in all things. He was _not_ over her. He was _not_ aware of her feelings for him. He was _not _the same Hiccup she knew—not that it was particularly shocking. They were older now, growing apart for the past three years, but it was like she was finally seeing Hiccup properly for the first time. He was bolder, more determined and self-assured in the way that he carried himself, and yet, from what he had just revealed to her, he was still as deeply vulnerable and insecure as he had ever been. Always with the unwavering fear in the back of his mind that he was never quite good enough. Never an adequate Viking who would amount to anything. Years of being the village "hiccup" could do that to a person, she figured. Also, _this_ Hiccup was plain spoken. He was direct. There was no timid or awkward stumbling over a phrase. He was deliberate.

"Hiccup…" Astrid said taking a step towards him.

Hiccup took an automatic step back opening his mouth to speak again, but Astrid had played quiet and placating for long enough. She had come here to tell him her side of things, and Gods damn it, he was going to listen to her, even if she had to turn back on the old Astrid charm. Which basically meant she was going to knock him around a little bit until she got her way, if it came to it.

Astrid took a larger step forward closing the gap between them, seizing Hiccup by a leather strap on his riding gear.

"Shut _up_, Hiccup!" She demanded fiercely, earning an indignant scowl from the young man. "You have said you piece, now it's my turn, and you _will_ listen to me. Pay me the same courtesy I just paid you. You at _least_ owe me that much!"

Hiccup's expression softened a little, but not by much. Just enough to let Astrid know she had his attention.

"Okay…what happened between us when we were younger? That was real. It was as real for me as it was for you, okay? I was never leading you on," she said firmly; Hiccup's expression remained unchanged. "What I have been _trying_ to tell you since I found you here, is that I never intended to become so distant. I never wanted to marry Stronggut! I was forced into it. My parents sprung it on me when I returned home from flying with you one night. They explained to me how binding the contract was."

Hiccup raised one skeptical eyebrow at her. He was also aware of how many of the previously standing marriage contracts had been dissolved in the wake of Berk's transformation. It was a tradition that was simply not needed, and Astrid could not have agreed more.

"Ugh, I'm serious!" She said, releasing the leather strap she was grasping. "My parents tried to dissolve the terms of the contract like so many others, but when the Svensons refused, my parents felt like they could not go back on their word. This is one tradition they want to uphold, just to keep the peace between our families and to avoid disgracing the family name by breaking their word. I'm a pawn in this Hiccup. I had to comply. I never had a choice! I was not about to be the Viking that disgraced her family name because she fell to pieces over a stupid marriage contract. It's my duty to my family! Surely you understand all about that…"

Indeed, he knew of family duty, Astrid thought. Hiccup was to be the future chief of Berk. If anyone had struggled with concepts of family duty and honor, it was him. His whole life had been defined by it, in some form or another.

"So…" he began slowly, cautiously. Measuring his words. "You don't love Stronggut? At all?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. For someone so highly intelligent, Hiccup could be surprisingly dense at times.

"No, Hiccup. I would have thought that was obvious with all the 'arranged marriage,' talk."

"You sure did like to talk about him…and them…," Hiccup said accusingly. "You had to know it was making me crazy."

"I…I was only saying all that stuff to try to convince you, myself, and everyone else that I was happy with it. That I had made me peace and was gladly accepting it," Astrid explained. "Like I said before, it was never about hurting you. Did you never stop to consider that I was hurting too?"

She realized after she had asked that it really was a silly question. He had not known about the engagement. Very few people did. There was no way for him to know the difficult position Astrid had been placed in. To him, it just felt like willful abandonment, and Astrid felt a strong stab of guilt again, for what she had put Hiccup through.

Hiccup frowned and dropped his gaze to the sand beneath their feet. After a moment of thought, he raised his gaze back to Astrid's and the last traces of anger seem to vanish from his face.

"Why…did you never tell me any of this before?" He asked, earnestly.

Finally, Astrid felt like they were getting somewhere.

"Because I was scared of losing you," she admitted.

"That…is very stupid," Hiccup stated with exasperation, as if all the unnecessary pain their mutual stubbornness had caused them was wrapped up in that one sentence.

"Yes, it was," Astrid conceded, her face growing hot at Hiccup's bluntness.

"And pushing me away slowly was preferable because…?"

"Because I had a very hard time letting you go," she confessed. "Because…I still love you, too."

Hiccup did not say anything more. He gave a deep sigh and sat back down in the sand where she had found him. This time, Astrid joined him.

"So let me get this straight. You are going to go ahead with the whole…marriage thing, just to keep the peace and your family's honor. But you don't love the guy. You love me?" Hiccup said, staring out across the sea rolling about in front of them. "It's a bit of a hot mess you've gotten yourself into, Astrid."

"Thank you…for summing that up," Astrid said, stealing one of Hiccup's more well known quotes.

This earned her a small smirk from Hiccup and her heart leapt at the sight of it. It seemed like maybe, just maybe, they were going to be okay after all. There was still one unanswered question that lingered in the air between. What was to become of them now?

"Hiccup…."

"Hm?"

"We're a couple a fools," she said quietly.

To her surprise, Hiccup chuckled softly and placed a warm, calloused hand over hers. The touch was more electrifying than wrangling a fully grown Skrill. She could not remember when the last time she and Hiccup had touched one another, even so much as an accidental brushing of shoulders as they walked by. Now, such simple contact was sending a delicious tingling sensation up her arm.

"We're a couple of sad, stupid fools," Hiccup replied.

His deep green eyes were softer now, but not completely devoid of pain and sadness from their argument. Astrid wondered if they ever would be, or whether there would always be a lingering shadow of regret every time he looked at her—a sorrowful reminder of time that was forever lost to them. Astrid was so busy contemplating his eyes that she nearly yelped in surprise when she felt his lips on hers, warm, soft, and insistent.

Was Hiccup-? He was-! Ohh…he _was_! Astrid felt her face grow hot. It was not like kissing Hiccup was a foreign concept to her, but younger, sweeter, more _innocent_ Hiccup would never have dared to initiate any physical contact between them—mainly from fear Astrid would punch him out if he had tried. _This_ Hiccup, however, did not seem to mind the threat of violence, and this new confidence she had discovered in him was intoxicating. The heat from his kiss seemed to radiate from her lips, down her neck, into the core of her very being.

Then, as suddenly as he had pressed his lips to hers, Hiccup took them away, leaving Astrid's lips feeling suddenly cold and dry, much to her disappointment.

"Hiccup?"

"I'm s-sorry!…Astrid…sorry, Astrid," Hiccup said, with too much remorse plastered across his face for Astrid's liking. "You're…the engagement! I shouldn't have done that," he stammered, sounding much more like the boy she remembered him to be.

"Hiccup, there's no one around for miles…unless you count the dragons," Astrid said, gesturing to Toothless and Stormfly, who had apparently been watching the whole thing go down. From the faint reddish tinge creeping across Hiccup's face, Astrid figured that he did, indeed, count the dragons.

Astrid knew what the real issue was, however. She was engaged to another man, he was the Chief's only son—if word got out on Berk of what had just happened….oh, the _scandal!_ Both their families' reputations would be tarnished, and while it may have easily been overlooked a few years ago when the relationship was innocent, it certainly would not be now that they were coming of age, and with Astrid expected to marry within a few week's time. Astrid would never speak a word of anything that transpired between them on that island, but she could see on his face that Hiccup was fighting a great internal struggle against his deeply rooted morals that made him a gentleman among Vikings...that made him so quintessentially Hiccup.

"You did nothing wrong, you know," Astrid said reassuringly.

He returned a look that plainly meant _Oh, please. _Astrid could not help but smile. It did not matter to her if there were ever whispers or rumors about herself and Hiccup now. If they were alone, out here, what could be proven? The only witnesses were dragons, and as communicative as they were, they could not talk.

She was happy. Elated, even. She and Hiccup had cleared the air—or, at least as much as it could be cleared at the moment. Some wounds took years, but this makeshift bandage they had created would hold them together for the moment. For Astrid, it was enough. She was satisfied to put the rest of the world out of her mind. They had time before they had to depart home for Berk, and she wanted more. More of Hiccup. More of whatever they were to one another right at that moment. She finally felt free of the emotional burden that had been weighing her down for the past three years. She felt light, she felt uninhibited. She felt…dangerous. She wanted to push limits and test boundaries. She wanted to see just how far she could push Hiccup, and just how far he was willing to push back. He would need some persuading, of course, but that had never been a problem for Astrid in their relationship before. Provided this new, more mature Hiccup was, at the core, still the sweet young man she had fallen for, and she was pretty damn certain he was, Astrid was going to be free to get her way for the first time in a long, long time.

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	6. The Viking Way

**Author's Note:** This chapter took me longer than any of the others, mainly because I struggled with where exactly I wanted Hiccup and Astrid's relationship to go from here. I flirted with several ideas and ultimately settled with this direction...the 3 hour nap I took may have also had something to do with it. Thank everyone for the positive reviews! I hope you are still enjoying what I have to offer!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own HTTYD. I just love it very very much.

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The past half hour had kind of been a huge blur to Hiccup. He had gone from positively livid with Astrid, to praising Odin Allfather's name that she was sitting by his side again, peacefully watching as a pod of Thuderdrums played amongst the distant waves. They had both come clean, about everything, and it was so very cathartic to feel as though there was nothing more left to hide. There were no more secrets between them now—it was almost like they were fourteen and free again. At least, while they were on this island anyway.

Hiccup had appreciated Astrid finally telling him the truth about her relationship with Stronggut—that it was arranged and essentially political. Hiccup had been relieved to his very soul to learn that Astrid had no real love or feelings for her husband-to-be, but it did not make him any less frustrated by the arrangement. After all they had shared, Hiccup was now more sure than ever that he was meant to be with Astrid, and she seemed to feel the same way about him, yet he could not see her backing out of the arrangement without unanimous approval. It was one of the fundamental differences between Hiccup and Astrid. She was a Viking of duty, or honor, of tradition and Hiccup was…well…not. Astrid did what she was told, what was expected of her. Hiccup questioned everything and flirted with boundaries. There had to be some solution, though. Hiccup was determined to find it. This was just another challenge to overcome. Another problem to be solved.

"Hiccup," Astrid said softly, bringing him out of his daydream. "Where did you go?"

"I was just thinking about a way to stop your wedding from happening," Hiccup answered candidly. "I don't think you should have to marry that…troll—"

"Honestly, Hiccup, he's not _that _bad," Astrid interrupted.

"—IF you don't want to!" He finished a little loudly, to block her comment from reaching his ears. The rational side of him knew that Stronggut was probably not a terrible person, but it was much easier to believe that he was.

"Well, then, who _should _I marry?" Astrid asked him teasingly.

He knew she was fishing for a particular answer, but he was not going to give in to her so easily.

"Whomever you choose," Hiccup answered neutrally, "and whenever you feel good and ready to."

Astrid wrinkled her nose at him playfully, obviously dissatisfied with his answer, and Hiccup decided it was adorable, and that he needed to make more attempts to make her do it again in the future. She had moved closer to him now, reaching up to absentmindedly play with the fastenings of his riding leathers, and Hiccup thought the sensation was strangely appealing and terrifying at the same time. He enjoyed the feeling of Astrid's fingertips on his body, perhaps more than he should, since she was still promised to someone else. However, the look Astrid was giving him was a look he could only describe as a _hunger_. Inexperienced with women though he was, Hiccup was still a Viking, and a boy did not grow up in that culture without hearing the tales, at least. He knew exactly what she was after, and if she managed to break his resolve, Hiccup knew he would be powerless to resist her any and every desire—and _that _is what terrified him about Astrid Hofferson. Hiccup was turning eighteen, for Thor's sake! He hardly needed any additional encouragement at this point, more than what his own raging hormones provided.

It had been his fault, though. He had kissed her lips not even five minutes ago, without invitation. It was unusual for Hiccup to initiate anything when it came to Astrid, but in the vulnerability that remained in the wake of their argument, in the fiery glow of the setting sun, and in the spirit of youthful indiscretion, he went for it. He had just not anticipated she would be so responsive to him.

"Hiccup," she whispered, sending shivers down his spine, "kiss me again."

He wanted to. Oh, how he really, really, _really_ wanted to, but it was a thin edge that they walked, and both could easily be drawn over the slippery slope of lust and impropriety. This fledging relationship they now had was undefined and above all, extremely fragile. There were too many variables in play at that time, and so they needed to proceed cautiously if the relationship was to grow and survive. The thing was, there was nothing cautious about Astrid. Slow and reserved was not her way. She charged into things head first, bold but not necessarily reckless. When she wanted something, she reached out and seized it with both hands, and right now, those hands were all over him. They were persistent and demanding, seeking out clasps of his riding gear, determined to shed the layers that separated them. When he failed to honor her request for a second kiss, an impatient hand found the back of his head, guiding him forward until their lips met again; Hiccup did not put up much of a resistance, in spite of his conscience. Damn those hormones.

_Stop it. You're only making a bigger mess of things_, Hiccup thought…but Astrid's lips were warm and inviting, and any lingering doubts were pushed to the very back of his mind. She was kissing him fiercely and he was kissing her back, swept up in the undertow of her desire. Their lips parted with a soft gasp and their eyes locked, and there was a brief moment where they just simply considered one another. Both teens were slightly breathless and the mutual need between them was palpable. Then, Astrid suddenly flung her arms around his neck and Hiccup was pulling her into a tight embrace. They were kissing again, deeper, more passionately than they ever had. Astrid lightly brushed the tip of her tongue across his top lip, and Hiccup responded by softly nipping at her bottom one. She sighed into the kiss and her lips parted for him; he gladly accepted the invitation. Their tongues were dueling sensually and Astrid maneuvered closer to him, pressing their chests together. She was practically in his lap at that point and Hiccup could feel his pulse bounding, his heart threatening to burst in his chest.

Somewhere distant—or close, Hiccup did not really know or care—he could hear Toothless warbling softly at him. He brushed it off, much more concerned with kissing Astrid and the way her hands were gently entangling themselves in his hair. Toothless growled again much closer this time, Hiccup was sure, but the dragon would have to wait. His rider was clearly preoccupied at the moment. Astrid broke the kiss in order to start trailing kisses along his jaw.

"Hiccup," she breathed into his neck, "I want to—"

But what she wanted, exactly, Hiccup never knew, because at the moment there was a very impatient Night Fury, nudging them both so hard that they toppled over into the black sand, completely dispersing all romantic atmosphere.

"T-Toothless!" Astrid stammered in surprise.

Hiccup shot back upright, eyes narrowing furiously at his dragon.

"What is so important, Toothless?" Hiccup asked indignantly. "_WHAT_?"

The dragon warbled softly, staring out across the sea. Hiccup turned to see that the sun had slipped beneath the waves and the last bands of daylight were quickly retreating with it. The moon was already visible, hanging low in the sky as it began its nightly ascent. A few stars had already made their appearance as well, dusting the darker part of the vast sky. Dinner would soon be underway in the Great Hall, and their shared absence was sure to be noticed, and arouse a lot of suspicion. Hiccup was greatly annoyed that he had just been cock-blocked by a dragon, and that said Night Fury was better at keeping track of time than he was. Toothless was supposed to be his best friend, so when had the dragon also become his nanny? He supposed he should have been thankful though, since Toothless had stopped them from going any further that night and doing something _really_ stupid. Yes, he should have been thankful, but a certain part of his anatomy had taken over his higher thinking. His body screamed in protest for the loss of what might have been.

"Fine," Hiccup said irritably as he rose to his feet, brushing the sand from his clothes.

"What is it?" Astrid asked, looking back and forth between him and Toothless curiously.

"He thinks we should be getting back to Berk, and I hate to say that I agree with him…_really_ hate to say it…," Hiccup said, offering Astrid a hand; she accepted it, and Hiccup helped pull her to her feet.

"Why the sense of urgency?" She inquired, glaring at Toothless with her hands on her hips.

"It's nightfall, Astrid. We'll be expected. I don't want to be interrogated any more than I already will be, once Gobber corners me for abandoning the forge today," Hiccup explained.

"I don't care what anyone thinks. We're not children anymore," Astrid said with a huff, folding her arms over her chest defiantly.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh…_alright_!" She finally conceded, whistling for Stormfly, who appeared at her side at once.

The dragon crouched low enough for Astrid to hoist herself into the saddle. Once she was situated, the Nadder rose to its full height and pushed off from the ground, hovering a few feet in the air, waiting for Toothless and Hiccup to join them.

"Well? Aren't you coming?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah, but I'm giving you a head start," he replied. "I think it would be best if we returned separately."

"Wow, you're really adamant about this whole 'not drawing any suspicion' thing," Astrid said flatly.

"One of us has to be!" Hiccup retorted. "You're still engaged, remember?"

"That didn't stop you from shoving your tongue down my throat a minute ago!"

Hiccup's face grew hot. "Yeah, well….I was always pretty weak where you were concerned," he said, sheepishly.

Astrid frowned at him and she and Stormfly remained hovering in the air above him, hesitant to part ways.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"I…I just…don't want this…to be it," she admitted. "Whatever…_this_ is—I don't want to it to just…stay buried in the sand here."

"Astrid, that won't happen," Hiccup reassured her. "I can't make you any promises about our future, but I _can_ promise that things won't be like they were…not anymore."

"I hope you're right," she said, not sounding wholly convinced.

With that, she and Stormfly turned and departed for Berk. Hiccup watched them go until he could no longer make out their silhouette in the twilight. Toothless fidgeted impatiently beside him.

"Not yet, bud," Hiccup said, patting the dragon's thick, scaly neck. "We'll give them a few more minutes—_and you're on my list, by the way!_"

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Astrid made quick work of getting Stormfly settled back into her stable. She could not hazard a guess what time it was, but dinner must have started at least an hour ago. It was not that the whole village ate together by some set schedule, with the exception of special feasts and holidays, but there was a certain window of time in which good food would still be available and she would be expected to make an appearance. She hastily bid her dragon a good night and made her way towards the Great Hall. As she took the steps towards the ornately carved double doors, she could smell the delicious aroma of smoked fish and roasted lamb wafting through the air. Inside, she could hear the sounds of music and terribly off-key singing, as well as excited conversations and uproarious laughter. It was good to be home, but Berk presented a number of problems for her. She had flown off to Dragon Island to escape those problems, if even for an afternoon, but now she was back, staring them in the face. On top of that, things with Hiccup had become beautifully complicated, and she now had their _whatever it was_ to contend with.

She slipped inside the Great Hall, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but it was not long before she was spotted by her fiancé.

"Astrid!" Stronggut called out, waving her over.

She took a deep, steadying breath and forced a bright smile at the sight of him. It was time for her to put on a mask again and play the role of a happy and content Future Mrs. Svenson.

"Hey there, Strong," she said as they embraced.

"I was starting to wonder where you were and—is that _sand?" _Stonggut asked, brushing some of the black grit from the folds in her clothes.

"Oh! Yeah, it is. I just got back from Dragon Island. I went there for a few hours for some 'me' time," Astrid explained, praying to Thor she sounded casual about it.

"Well you missed the big announcement," Stronggut said with a shrug.

"What announcement?"

"Of our engagement, of course!" He exclaimed, draping an arm across Astrid's shoulders. "Stoick called the whole village into the Great Hall before dinner to announce it. They broke out the good mead to celebrate!"

"I'm sorry I missed all the excitement!" She lied.

The doors of the Great Hall opened again and Astrid glanced over her shoulder to see Hiccup walk in, trying to look as casual as she had. She wondered how he had gotten there so quickly—she had figured she at least had a twenty minute lead on him, but then she remembered. _Oh, yeah. Night Fury_.

"Hiccup!" Stronggut called suddenly, making Astrid jump.

"What are you doing?" Astrid asked, wide-eyed.

"He wasn't here for the announcement earlier. I think he ought to know, don't you?"

"Why would you think that?" Astrid asked weakly, feeling her pulse being to quicken as Hiccup walked over to them, looking as bemused and reluctant as she felt.

"Aren't you two friends?" Stronggut asked, raising his eyebrows. "You did all that…_dragon stuff_ together?"

Oh, she and Hiccup had certainly done their share of _stuff_.

"We're not really friends anymore. Things have been complicated," she said honestly, knowing the real meaning of her statement was lost on Stronggut.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied, giving her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

Hiccup was soon standing in front of them, determinedly avoiding her gaze.

"Hey, Stronggut," he said amiably. "Hey…Astrid."

His eyes met hers for the briefest of moments before flickering to the floor, then back up to Stronggut's face.

"I didn't see you in the Great Hall before dinner," Stronggut said.

Hiccup looked confused and replied, "Should…I have been?"

"The Chief called everyone together for a big announcement. Since you weren't there, I figured that I could tell you in person. Seems a shame to be the only one not knowing," Stronggut said.

"Knowing what?"

Astrid felt her palms getting sweaty. The situation was getting more awkward by the second, with Stronggut drawing out the news for his own amusement, Hiccup playing along like he had no idea what was going on, and Stronggut blissfully unaware that she and Hiccup were having an affair of sorts, right under his nose. It would have almost hilarious, had it been happening to someone else.

"Astrid and I," Stronggut began, pulling her tightly against him for emphasis, "are going to be wed!"

"Hey, that's fantastic! Congratulations to you both!"

Astrid knew Hiccup well enough to know when he was being sarcastic, thankfully Stronggut did not.

"Yes, it was arranged a long time ago, but I consider myself very lucky that our relationship was able to grow as it has," Stronggut said, smiling down at Astrid fondly.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and guilt. "Strong, please. Hiccup's not interested in the details," she said quickly.

"Ah, you're right! Not very _Viking_, is it? To talk about this mushy stuff?" Stonggut chuckled.

Astrid smiled, as if she appreciated his wit, while Hiccup's eyes darted around the Great Hall, looking for a way out of the conversation.

"HICCUP!" Someone called, angrily.

The voice was unmistakably Gobber's and from the sound of it, he was prepared to give Hiccup a piece of his mind about abandoning the shop that afternoon. Hiccup however, looked relieved for an excuse.

"Uh, I guess Gobber's looking for me," he said, starting to back away from the two of them. "I guess I better go see…yep!"

He quickly retreated leaving Astrid and Stronggut alone together.

"He's always been a bit…_odd_, hasn't he?" Stronggut said, scratching at his chin, where a full beard was already coming in. It was supposed to be a symbol of Viking virility; Astrid gave a nauseous shudder at the thought.

"No more odd than you!" She said, defensively.

Stronggut overlooked the harshness of her tone and laughed, apparently thinking it was meant to be a joke. It was not.

"You have quite the sense of humor, my dear," he said. "We're going to be very happy together, Astrid."

He leaned down and kissed her, closing his eyes and reveling in the moment. Astrid's eyes remained open and she tried to find some kind of comfort in their kiss, something to hold on to, if this was who she was going to be spending the rest of her years with. But, there was nothing. The kiss, to her, was cold and it was empty. In that moment, she longed only for the feel of Hiccup's lips again, and she wondered how they were going to overcome this. She did not know how to break the marriage contract without inciting violence and infighting between the Svenson and Hofferson clan. Berk may have been at peace but it still had its laws, and the punishment for breaking them was usually some kind of bloodshed—it was the Viking way. She loved Hiccup, but she was also afraid of what the price would be in order to be with him. Was it better to just hide their relationship? To go through with the marriage and then be lovers in secret? Astrid mentally slapped herself. No. She could not do that. She could not ask that of Hiccup, and though she did not wish to marry Stronggut, she could not bring herself to do that to him either. There had to be another solution, and she had a month to find it. There was an expiration date to her relationship with Hiccup and time was already slipping away.

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	7. In The Spirit of Svipting

**Author's Note:** I takes me a little more time to write the chapters now. I know where the story is going, it's getting there that it getting more complicated. Conflict and drama is easy for me to write. Sometimes it's much harder to write a satisfying conclusion. I want to keep y'all entertained, it what I'm trying to say.

Oh! Also, I am no professor of Old Norse traditions, but I think Dreamworks has taken quite a bit of liberty with Viking culture, so bear with me as I do the same.

**Disclaimer:** Stuff n' things.

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The past week had been rough for Hiccup. Gobber had made him work long hours at the forge as punishment for breaking his word. The summer days were already warm and the heat in the stifling shop was already draining Hiccup of all his energy. He would drag himself to bed every night and pass out almost the second his head hit the pillow. He would maybe get four decent hours of sleep, if he was lucky, before his father roused him out of bed with the dawn. His mornings were spent shadowing his father, learning the ropes as chief, then afternoons, and late into his evenings were spent in Gobber's smithy. Between his duty and his punishment, Hiccup did not have time for much else. He reasoned this was some coordinated effort between his father and Gobber to teach him a lesson about responsibility, but when had that ever worked before? Ever since he was little, Stoick and Gobber had been trying to keep him out of trouble, but Hiccup always managed to throw himself into the middle of it anyway. It was not like he intentionally did so—not all the time, anyway. He just had a knack for that sort of thing.

Hiccup stifled a yawn as he entered the Great Hall, looking for his friends. He had finally been given a reprieve, his father and Gobber apparently feeling like he had worked hard enough and deserved the break. There was only one condition to his new found freedom: He had to go on a scouting mission for his father, first. The threats of Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged had been neutralized for some years, but in the wake of their respective defeats, smaller clusters of Outcasts and Berserkers had fractured off to form their own marauding bands of barbarians. They were merely a shadow of their former selves, but they did manage to attack fishing boats and trade vessels along the archipelago frequently enough, stealing vital supplies and goods from the people of Berk, which proved to be more than just a minor annoyance. Stoick had tasked Hiccup and his friends to scout the archipelago and drive away any marauders they may encounter. It was a task akin to pest control, but it still needed to be done.

"Do you _ever_ sleep?" Ruffnut asked him as he took a seat beside Fishlegs.

"Speaking of sleep, I should still be in bed right now!" Snotlout complained loudly. "What is the point of waking us up so early, anyway?"

"Snotlout, the sun has been up for at least three hours now," Hiccup replied, thinking his cousin should just be grateful that he had not had to rise with it every morning for the past week. "It is not _that_ early."

"What do you need the extra sleep for? _Beauty_ rest?" Ruffnut teased.

"Impossible. He'd have to sleep until next Snoggletog to make any difference," Tuffnut said.

The twins laughed and high-fived each other. Snotlout opened his mouth to retort but Hiccup interrupted him.

"Let's just focus on that task at hand," he said wearily.

"Which is what, exactly?" Fishlegs asked. "You haven't really told us what's going on."

"It's pretty straight forward. We're going on marauder patrol. Chief's orders."

"Yes!" Tuffnut exclaimed. "I hope we find some marauders. It's not fun unless we get to set _something_ on fire."

"May I remind you, the hope is that we _don't_ find any enemies in our waters," Hiccup said, frowning.

"Okay, Hiccup, I get that you like boring and predictable," Tuffnut began, "But this is _us_, we're talking about here." He gestured to himself and Ruffnut.

"Yeah! What's the fun in having a dragon if you don't get to blow up a marauding ship every now and then?" Ruffnut asked, grinning mischievously.

Hiccup sighed, too tired to disagree. He pulled out a map of the archipelago and unfolded it on the table in front of them.

"Okay, gang, listen up. Fishlegs, I want you to patrol these islands just immediately south of Berk. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you guys will be scouting the southern-most islands, down to and including Dragon Island. Snotlout, you take the cluster of islands to the West. I know it's a bit out of the way, but that's where we spotted marauders the last time. I know it's technically not our territory, but they've used it to stage attacks on trading vessels before. I want to know it's secure."

"Hiccup, you do know none of the islands outside of Berk are our territory," Fishlegs corrected him.

"Yes, I know. _Thank you_, Fishlegs. Our people just utilize the land and waters throughout the archipelago. We have as much a claim to the area as the wild dragons do, which is why we defend it. For us, and for them," Hiccup explained.

"Okay, so who has the cluster of islands to the North?" Snotlout asked, scratching his head.

"That would be me," Hiccup replied.

"And to the northeast?" Fishlegs asked. "Is one of us going to have to pull double duty?"

"Not this time. I arranged for backup."

As if on cue, the doors opened and Astrid came bursting in, looking a little winded, as if she had sprinted the entire distance to the Great Hall from her house.

"Sorry I'm late!" She gasped. "I would have come sooner but I was held up. I came as soon as I got your air mail!"

On her shoulder was perched Sharpshot, Hiccup's Terrible Terror, looking rather pleased with himself for delivering Hiccup's letter to the right person—he had not delivered anything to Astrid in quite a while.

"I _still _can't believe that actually caught on…" Snotlout mused.

Hiccup was more than pleased to see Astrid. They had not gotten to spend any time alone since Dragon Island the week before. She had come by to see him at the forge when she could, but Gobber had always been there, keeping a watchful eye on Hiccup to make sure he served out the complete duration of his sentence. There had not been an opportunity for anything besides small talk. It also did not help things any that she had been very busy as well. The whole village got involved with planning wedding celebrations and so Astrid had been busy going from house to house to hear suggestions, give her input, and get measured and fitted by the village seamstress.

"Well, well, look who decided to grace us with her presence!" Tuffnut exclaimed dramatically.

Astrid chose to ignore his comment as she took a seat next to Hiccup. Sharpshot leapt from her shoulders in favor of curling up in Hiccup's lap. Astrid's eyes met his and they shared a small smile.

"I still can't believe you're getting _married_," Ruffnut said, as if the entire concept disgusted her.

"You'd rather I date the whole village first?" Astrid asked pointedly.

Ruffnut shrugged and said, "Don't knock it 'til you try it!"

In recent years, Ruffnut had earned a certain reputation, but many of the teens who were no longer bound in marriage contracts had thrown propriety to the wind and dated openly and freely. It was not uncommon to turn a corner a find two young people wrapped tightly around each other, glued at the lips. Hiccup had seen more than his share of wonton face-sucking around Berk, especially the time he had caught Ruffnut and Snotlout going at it. It was a moment that was regrettably seared into his brain for the rest of his natural life.

"Can we get back to the task at hand?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well _I_, for one, am delighted for you Astrid," Snotlout said, obviously sucking up to the blonde.

"Delighted? Is that what you call it when you cry for almost an hour straight?" Fishlegs asked, snickering.

"It was not an hour!" Snotlout snapped, going red. "….and I didn't cry."

"Okay, a soft forty-five minutes maybe," Fishlegs conceded.

Snotlout raised his fist to deliver a hard punch and Fishlegs flinched.

"_Enough_!" Hiccup said firmly. "We have a job to do, now let's go get it done."

The teens reluctantly rose from the table as Hiccup folded up the map and dismissed Sharpshot. Snotlout and the twins raced each other out the door while Fishlegs, Hiccup, and Astrid lingered behind. Hiccup wished Fishlegs would not wait up for them—he wanted some time alone with Astrid.

"Are we ever going to see you again after you're married?" Fishlegs asked Astrid, sadly. "We barely see you enough as it is."

Astrid patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. "Sure, you will."

"How come you never come around anymore? We've missed you at the academy," he said.

"I…The Svensons don't care too much for dragon riding and dragon training," Astrid explained. "I've had to find other ways to spend my time."

"Well that's not fair," Fishlegs protested; Hiccup could not have agreed more.

"No one ever said it was," Astrid said with a heavy sigh. "At least they don't _hate_ dragons…it's more…a cool indifference."

"How archaic of them!" Fishlegs scoffed.

"We were at war with dragons not even five years ago, Fishlegs. I'm not sure that counts as 'archaic' yet," Hiccup replied. "Some people are just more set in their ways."

"I can't believe _you_'_re_ defending that kind of attitude, of all people," Fishlegs said.

"I'm not _defending_ anything! I'm just…rationalizing."

"Well, I can't see why you would possibly want to marry into a family like that," Fishlegs told Astrid, frowning.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup hissed. He did not much care for the Svensons, either, but now Fishlegs was just being too bold.

"I didn't have much choice since the whole marriage was arranged," Astrid said bitterly.

"Woah-ho! They don't care about dragons and they still support arranged marriages? They're more behind the times than my grandmother!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "Too bad no one's called a _svipting_."

"A _what_?" Hiccup and Astrid asked in unison.

"A _svipting_…y'know…like the Vikings of old used to do?"

The two of them stared at Fishlegs blankly.

"Oh, for Thor's sake! It's in the scrolls back in the archive. Doesn't anybody in the village read besides me?"

The archive was a small, dusty chamber tucked away in the back of the Great Hall. It contained the small collection of old scrolls and tomes that had managed to survive three hundred years of dragon attacks. It was mostly records of family lineages, copies of old trade agreements, and a number of other documents that had long since been forgotten. In fact, most of the village had probably forgotten the room even existed.

"I don't think anyone ever goes in there anymore," Astrid said. "Except you, apparently."

"Well, they should! I was browsing the old records for any additional information I could add to the Book of Dragons, y'know, for historical accounts and stuff. Oh! I came across this one document that described this type of dragon—I think it may have been hunted to extinction, but—"

As interested as Hiccup may have been to discuss extinct dragons under any other circumstance, he wanted to get back to the subject of a _svipting_ and what, precisely, it had to do with Astrid's impending marriage to Stronggut.

"Fishlegs, you still haven't told us what a _svipting_ is," Hiccup said.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry. Apparently, if a Viking wanted to break an arranged marriage contract like, say…he was in love was the bride-to-be, and she was engaged to someone else…well, that Viking could challenge the groom-to-be to a _svipting_. It's basically just a one-on-one brawl. If the Viking won, the engagement would be called off and he would have the chance to court the bride," Fishlegs explained.

"And would a law like that still apply today?" Hiccup asked earnestly.

Fishlegs shrugged. "I don't see why it wouldn't. I mean, as long as people are still having arranged marriages—wait a minute."

Fishlegs stopped dead in his tracks and looked back and forth between Astrid and Hiccup, suspiciously. Astrid was staring at Hiccup, hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed in warning.

"Hiccup, don't you dare…"Astrid threatened.

"Wait…wait…are you guys…?" Fishlegs inquired, they ignored him.

"Think about it, Astrid! It's perfect!"

"No! Stronggut would flatten you!" Astrid argued.

"Such little faith…" Hiccup sighed before turning to Fishlegs. "_You_ are a genius! I could _kiss _you!"

"Please don't…" he pleaded weakly, taking a step back.

Hiccup laughed. He felt elated. There was finally a tangible solution staring him in the face. He now knew how he was going to free Astrid from the binds of her engagement. He would win the right to be with her fair and square, in front of the whole village even. No laws would be broken. No one's family name or reputation disgraced. Everybody won! Well, except Stronggut, provided Hiccup actually managed to bring down the beast of a young man. He would worry about that later.

Astrid saw the fire in his eyes and she glared at Fishlegs reproachfully, as if to blame him for the whole thing.

"_What_?" Fishlegs cried defensively. "I just answered his question! You two are the ones with the problem!"

Astrid grabbed a fistful of Fishleg's tunic, dragging him so close their noses were almost touching.

"You mention one word, one _syllable_ about Hiccup and me to anyone…and they will be the last words you ever speak," Astrid growled threateningly.

Fishlegs cowered under her stare, trying to make himself as small as possible, which was a rather difficult thing to achieve, given his massive size.

"I'm going to grab Toothless," Hiccup said, turning towards his house.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Fishlegs asked desperately, with a look on his face that read _please, don't leave me with her!_

"We still have patrol to do, remember? I'll see you in the skies!" Hiccup said brightly.

He felt suddenly more optimistic than he could remember being in a long time. Even after he and Astrid had come clean about their feelings for one another, there still had been no real solution to the marriage problem save for hopping on their dragons and flying off into the sunset together—a notion that was both as ridiculous as it was unrealistic. Now, Hiccup finally had the power to do something about it and the thought emboldened him. Astrid would be his within a fortnight.

00000

Astrid and Stormfly circled around the northeastern-most islands that surrounded Berk. The scouting mission proved to be uneventful, and for once, Astrid wished she had stumbled upon a small fleet of marauders lying in wait. It would have given her something to do to take her mind off the terrifying thought of Hiccup facing Stronggut in hand-to-hand combat. It was not that she did not want Hiccup to fight for her, but if she were to be honest about it, she would have to place her bets on Stronggut as the inevitable victor. Hiccup was behind the curve when it came to combat skills, that was not much of a secret, and Astrid was pretty sure Hiccup would not be allowed to use a dragon in the fight. The whole thing just seemed hopeless to her, and she did not know why Hiccup was so unperturbed about the idea of challenging her monster of a fiancé to a fight. Did he already have some kind of trick up his sleeve? Or a death wish? Astrid could not possibly hazard a guess.

After completing one last sweep of the islands, she turned for home. It felt nice getting back to running missions with her former friends. She had deeply missed her days as an integral member of the dragon training academy. In the interest of molding herself into a proper future Svenson, she had only found time for the occasional solo flight to give Stormfly the chance to stretch out her wings. In recent months, the dragon had been growing restless and impatient with her, but as they soared freely among the clouds, Stormfly looked like she could not be happier. Astrid had sacrificed so much in the pursuit of her new life with Stronggut that she had caused Stormfly to suffer as well, and it broke her heart to think she had been punishing her dragon for her own stubbornness and stupidity. Well, no more. If Astrid_ did_ end up marrying Stronggut, he was not going to prevent her from doing what she loved any longer. This is where she belonged.

As she approached Berk, she caught sight of a certain black dragon approaching from her right. She glanced over shoulder to see Hiccup and Toothless chasing her down, a mischievous grin on the young man's face. Apparently they had finished their scouting as well. Astrid cracked a smile. _So_, _Hiccup wants to race, does he? _It had been too long.

"Come on, Stormfly! Go, girl, _go_!" Astrid said, urging her dragon on.

Stormfly squawked excitedly and picked up speed, beating her wings furiously as they climbed higher and higher.

"Let's go, bud!" she heard Hiccup say to Toothless.

In no time, the dragons were neck and neck as they ascended through the blanket of clouds above Berk. Astrid and Hiccup locked eyes challengingly.

"You think your Night Fury is any match for my Deadly Nadder?" Astrid called to him, teasingly.

"It's not even a contest!" Hiccup replied. "Go, Toothless!"

Just as they had breached the top of the clouds, Toothless lurched forward into a spectacular nosedive, disappearing beneath again.

"Hey!" Astrid shouted indignantly, nudging Stormfly gently in the sides with her heels. The dragon followed her lead and dove after them, wind whistling in her ears.

She knew, in all actuality, there was no way that Stormfly would ever beat Toothless, but if there was one thing Astrid could not resist besides Hiccup, it was competition. Combining Hiccup _and _competition? Be still, her beating heart. How could she _not_ chase him? And the way Hiccup kept glancing back over his shoulder to check if she was keeping up told her he wanted to be chased. He would lean forward occasionally and say something to Toothless whenever they got too far ahead and the Night Fury would slow down, giving her the chance to catch up.

"That's not very sporting, Hiccup!" she shouted over the rushing wind.

Toothless pulled out of the dive and Stormfly glided along happily beside him.

"It's no fun without a little bit of a challenge, right?" Hiccup asked, grinning.

"Spoken like a true Viking!" Astrid said with a laugh.

They flew along side by side, the deep blue water glittering invitingly beneath them in the heat of the summer sun. Toothless would dip now and then, skimming the tip of a wing along the water's surface. She and Hiccup's eyes met and they held each other's gaze, speaking volumes without words. This was right. This was perfect. It was how Astrid wants to spend her years. She was not ready to be married, cooking meals and bearing children for Stronggut Svenson. She was meant to be there, by Hiccup's side, flying through the skies happy and free. She had tried to convince herself that life with Stronggut meant she could be the Viking she was supposed to be, reliving the days when being rough around the edges had earned her admiration from others. For a brief time, it had been nice to unleash that side of herself again, but she had come to realize that no one had been preventing her from being that way in the first place. Honestly, there was no longer much of a need to keep her battle ax sharpened. It was quickly becoming a relic of times gone by. She knew now that to be with Stronggut was equal to holding herself back. To be with Hiccup was to be free.

"Are you really going to fight him?" She asked Hiccup suddenly. "Stronggut, I mean."

"What's the alternative?" He replied. "I'm not just going to sit back and do _nothing_."

"What if you lose?" Astrid asked.

"What if I win?"

"What if you _lose_?" Astrid asked again, more insistently.

"Then you're still engaged and nothing changes. This way, we at least have a chance," Hiccup explained, determined.

"He's strong, Hiccup."

"What? _Strong_gut is strong? You're kidding me!"

"I'm serious, Hiccup! I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"I don't know whether to be insulted over your lack of confidence in me, or flattered by your overwhelming concern."

"I hope you have a plan," Astrid said, with a frown.

"Punch him in the face?" Hiccup suggested.

"Hiccup!"

"I'm joking! I'm _joking_! Of course I have a plan, Astrid…I'm just not entirely sure what it is at the moment…"

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**Author's Note: **To those of you who suggested Hiccup fight for Astrid's hand...stop it! Right now! Get out of my head! You'll spoil it for yourselves!


	8. A Challenge Set

**Author's Note: **Okay, so this chapter is a little late by my standards, but there's this thing called life…it keeps happening to me. It's been making timely updates difficult. I hope you understand. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, typos and everything!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HTTYD, but it's ever so nice to dream.

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Summer had to be Astrid's favorite season, even as short lived as it was. The winters on Berk were long and brutal, numbing down to the bone marrow, before the additional wind chill. All the foliage went dormant, the birds migrated south, and the only constant nature offered was a thick blanket of snow and ice that stubbornly lingered until late spring's thaw. Summer saw the return of life and greenery to Berk, as if the whole island awakened from hibernation, including the village. People were out and about, enjoying the mild heat instead of bundled up in their homes, hiding from the unrelenting cold that stalked them the other three-fourths of the year. That summer however, the village was all abuzz over the upcoming wedding and Astrid found that no amount of sunshine or gentle ocean breezes could uplift her spirits in the face of marrying Stronggut.

The wedding was only a week away and Hiccup still had not challenged him to the _svipting_. It weighed heavily on her heart and whenever she asked Hiccup about it, the young man had been very evasive about the whole thing. He would assure her he had a plan and that she need not worry, but that was about as much information as he would offer her before running off to Gobber's smithy, where he had been spending most of his time in the recent weeks.

Lost in her thoughts, Astrid found herself automatically gravitating towards the forge, though she would wager she would gravitate to just about anywhere Hiccup happened to be. He was her refuge from all the wedding fever that had overtaken Berk. It was a comfort to find one person who was about as repulsed by the idea of her union to Stronggut as she was—probably even more so. Astrid was at least able to convince herself that the marriage was an act of duty and respect to her parents and her family. It was her way to cope with it. Hiccup, on the other hand, openly expressed his disdain whenever they were alone together. It was refreshing to hear him speak the words she often kept to herself.

The sound of giggling brought her out of her thoughts. Astrid looked up to see a small group of younger girls gathered outside the smithy, huddled close together, casting glances inside the shop before resuming their excited whispering. It was unusual for the smithy to be any kind of social gathering point, and she did not like it. The forge was one place she could usually go to spend time alone with Hiccup, suffering only the occasional interruption as a patron arrived to drop off or pick up a completed job from Hiccup. Or Gobber, if he happened to be around. When she reached the smithy, a quick peek inside revealed what had the young ladies so flustered.

Gobber was furiously hammering out a sword from a firey molten blade while Hiccup stood in the back of the shop, his back turned to his gawking audience, working on some project hidden from their view. Of course, he had to be _shirtless_ while he did it. It was not unreasonable given the warmth of the summer air combined with the heat inside the smithy from the molten iron, but Hiccup seemed oblivious to the attention he was drawing. While he was considered small and thin by Viking standards, years of working the forge and riding dragons had rewarded Hiccup with a noticeable amount of muscle definition that was quite pleasing to look at—and apparently, she was not the only one to think so. The group of young Viking girls inched their way closer to the shop window and Gobber looked up, annoyed.

"Eh, listen te yeh squawking away like a bunch of Nadders! Off wit' the lot of yeh! A smithy is no place fer young ladies!" Gobber scowled.

The girls reluctantly dispersed, casting Gobber reproachful glares over their shoulders as they left.

"What about me? Can I stay?" Astrid asked.

Gobber brightened up at the sight of her. "The smithy is always open te our more _loyal _customers," he said.

"Even if it is 'no place fer young ladies'?" Astrid asked, teasingly.

"Ah, maybe it would concern me, if yeh were actually a _lady_," Gobber replied, shrugging his large shoulders.

Astrid rolled her eyes and Gobber laughed at their playful banter. Then he turned to Hiccup and said, "Oi, lad—Ye have a visitor!"

Hiccup turned around and Astrid was breathless. If a shirtless Hiccup was impressive from the back, it was nothing compared to shirtless Hiccup from the front. His damp bangs framed his face and the sweat made his skin almost glisten, further accentuating his more maturely defined form. As Astrid secretly thanked Odin for the summer's heat, she also found herself wondering just when blacksmithing had gotten so _erotic_.

"Hey, Astrid!" He said, walking towards her, picking up his discarded tunic from an unoccupied workbench.

Astrid's eyes were riveted to a bead of sweat that was traveling from his neck, slowly down his chest towards...then, Hiccup threw his tunic back on and Astrid found herself thinking that it was just such a _pity_.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

Gobber chuckled and said, "Oh, I'm sure there are a _few_ things…"

Both Astrid and Hiccup turned and stared at him and Gobber's toothy grin faltered as he quickly went back to work, pounding away at an iron blade.

"Does he _know_?" Astrid whispered, climbing through the low set window that separated them.

"I don't think so," Hiccup replied. "He's always made those kind of comments. I think he believes he's helping me out…in his own sort of…Gobber way."

"I would imagine you'd have to be pretty desperate to take any sort of relationship _help_ from him."

"I'm not. I thought I'd try to manage this dating thing on my own…how am I doing, so far?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrow playfully.

Astrid smiled sweetly at him. Hiccup could be such a dork, but in his own completely wonderful way.

"Meet me for a night flight later and I'll let you know," she replied in a hushed voice, so Gobber would not overhear.

Hiccup sighed heavily, his expression becoming very apologetic. "I'm sorry, Astrid. I would love to, believe me…but I still have so much work to do here," he said.

"I don't understand," Astrid replied, frustrated. "You've been up here every day, nearly all day, for the past _two weeks_! What could be _that_ important?"

"Do you trust me?" Hiccup asked.

"Of course I do."

"Then don't _worry_ about it," he whispered, cupping her cheek in his warm hand. "This is just part of my plan."

"_What plan?_" Astrid asked, impatiently brushing his hand away from her face so she could scowl at him properly. "You're being mighty secretive. It's annoying."

Hiccup just shook his head, only making her more disappointed. Astrid wondered if all relationships felt like this, where a person could love another so much one minute, but then want to slap the absolute _stupid _out of that same person the next. Hiccup did funny things to her, that much was certain.

"I guess you're not going to tell me," she finally conceded.

"Nope," Hiccup confirmed.

Astrid sighed heavily and said, "Well, I hope_ it _happens soon. I think Stronggut is starting to suspect something is up, although I don't think he has any real idea what it is. He just senses something's off between us."

"Really? So he _is _capable of intelligent thought?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

Astrid wrinkled her nose up at him playfully and punched him in the arm. She did not think he had much of a right to be making snide comments about her fiancé when he had yet to challenge him outright.

"Ow! You know, there are less painful ways to make your point," Hiccup said with a frown, rubbing his arm.

"Astrid!" someone called out.

She turned to see her mother hurrying over to them, looking exasperated.

"There you are! In a smithy, of all places! This is no place for a bride!" Her mother exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, mom. I was just visiting a friend," Astrid explained.

"Ouch," Hiccup said sarcastically, under his breath; Astrid shot him a warning look.

Her mother stared at Hiccup for a moment, and Astrid knew her parents had been aware of her feelings for him when they were younger. Her parents had been the ones to strongly suggest she sever the ties of friendship with him. Astrid wondered if her parents, in any small degree, felt threatened by seeing them together again. At long last, her mother gave Hiccup a small nod of acknowledgment, which he returned, before she turned back to Astrid.

"Old Lady Rundstrom has finished your dress! She just needs you to try it on one last time, to be sure!" she said, excitedly.

For a brief moment, Astrid felt guilty. She could see her mother's joy and eagerness over the idea of seeing her daughter getting married, but Astrid had no intention of going through with it, provided Hiccup could make good on his promises.

"Does it have to be right _now_?" Astrid asked, not really feeling up to the charade at the moment.

"Dear Thor, girl! She's only been working on it for the past month! The least you could do is try it on and not keep her waiting. I can't see what would possibly be more important right now!"

"Okay, fine. Tell her I will be right there," Astrid said, flatly.

Her mother gave the two teenagers one last lingering look of consideration before hurrying on her way to speak with Old Lady Rundstrom. Astrid knew, as much as she did not want to go, she did not have a valid excuse for putting it off, especially when her presence was already expected. It was not that she hated the dress. On the contrary, it was quite beautiful and elegant, and Astrid was surprised that she actually liked the feminine gown. She had just grown tired of the lying. She hated plastering on a fake smile and giggling with her mother like a lovesick young maiden. It was not that she _was not_ head over heels for someone, but those feelings were not towards her groom-to-be. The duplicitous nature of her feigned excitement was taking its toll on her conscience, and the act was getting ever harder to maintain.

"I guess I had better get going," Astrid said to Hiccup, with a look of suffering.

"It's almost a shame you won't actually get to wear the dress," he said. "I'm sure you look quite lovely in it…"

Astrid gave him a small, weary smile. She glanced over at Gobber to make sure he was preoccupied before she leaned in a stole a quick kiss from Hiccup. It was brief and it was chaste, like the kisses of their youth, but in that moment it was enough.

"Don't disappoint me, Haddock," she said softly, reaching up to brush some of his sweaty bangs from his eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it, milady," he replied.

0000000

All things considered, Hiccup felt his plan was going rather well. He had kept the details to himself, which had proved to be a challenge when enlisting Gobber's help on his secret project, but evading Astrid's questions had been more difficult than evading Gobber's. Eventually, the older man had just stopped asking and resigned himself to help with whatever Hiccup needed, provided he was not too bogged down with other jobs and his dragon dentistry side business. Hiccup still had not yet challenged Stronggut to the _svipting_, but he already had that planned out as well, so he was not overly concerned. He could tell Astrid believed he was putting it off, but he knew if the challenge was made too early, it would give Stronggut enough time to realize the _svipting_ was not actually in his best interest. The challenge needed to be raised the night before Hiccup felt prepared to fight, that way Stronggut, as thick as he was, would not have the time to cool off and reconsider. Each day Hiccup failed to challenge Stronggut was another day he had bought himself to better prepare. He was confident, but he was no fool. Hiccup knew when it came down to brawn, Stronggut had him beat at least ten times over, but it had not been brawn that had taken down the Red Death, and Hiccup believed brains could win in this battle as well. He just needed to take all the necessary steps, and that was why he was spending his afternoon in the cove, training with Toothless.

The Night Fury crouched low to the ground, rolling his shoulders like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. Hiccup stared him down, reading Toothless' body language, trying to anticipate the dragon's next move. Toothless suddenly inhaled and Hiccup dove for his shield that was laying on the ground a few yards away. He had only just managed to raise it up in front of him when he was hit by a rapid succession of smaller, contained plasma blasts. The Gronckle iron shield deflected the dragon's fire easily enough, but the force of the impact had knocked Hiccup on his back. Toothless pounced, biting down on the shield and wrenching it off Hiccup's arm, tossing it aside. He then reared back and brought his front legs down toward Hiccup, like he was trying to squash a bug, but Hiccup rolled from one side to the other, dodging the dragon's claws. He rolled backwards onto his feet, out from underneath Toothless, and dove for his shield again as Toothless fired another volley of plasma blasts. Hiccup blocked them again and the force of the blasts knocked him off balance, but he remained on his feet. Toothless spun around, swinging his tail at Hiccup like a large black, scaly whip. Hiccup ducked as the tail cleared his head by inches, but Toothless tried again, aiming for his legs. Hiccup leapt over it and Toothless let out a growl of frustration; the dragon did not like to lose.

Hiccup ran at Toothless and the dragon bounded straight for him. Toothless attempted to pounce on Hiccup and wrestle his human to the ground, but every time the dragon tried to get a hold of him, Hiccup managed to side step or wiggle free. Toothless reared up on his hind legs and Hiccup seized the opportunity to fire the small bola concealed in the center hub of his shield. The weighted rope snagged Toothless around the front legs and neck and the dragon gave an angry roar as he toppled backwards, the bola throwing off his balance. He struggled on his back for a couple seconds before managing to right himself, immediately firing more plasma blasts in retaliation. Hiccup raised his shield and braced himself, deflecting all the blasts. Even though the force pushed him back about two feet, he had dug his feet, real and prosthetic, into the ground and remained upright and balanced.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, thrusting his fist into the air. "I _finally _did it!"

Toothless, bitter about losing the skirmish, did not share in his enthusiasm. The dragon shook free of his bonds and whipped his tail around again, throwing Hiccup into the pond nestled in the middle of the cove. Hiccup gasped for air as he surfaced, the wind having been knocked out of him. Toothless let out a warble that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"Very funny," Hiccup said with a frown, climbing out of the water. "You are the _worst_ loser I have ever met."

Toothless just continued to "laugh".

"Honestly, Toothless, you should be happy for me. This means I may actually stand a chance against Stronggut. I don't have to wound him I just have to outsmart him—like I did with the Red Death and with you."

Toothless glanced down at the discarded bola then at his prosthetic tail piece before growling at Hiccup, apparently not too fond of the memories.

"_Toothless_, I thought we were past those hurt feelings," Hiccup said. "Besides, aren't we even now?"

He gestured towards his metal leg and Toothless' catlike pupils rounded, placated by the comparison.

"I thought so," Hiccup said patting the dragon gently on the snout. "I'm glad we've reached this understanding."

Toothless warbled appreciatively and gave him a gummy smile. Hiccup chuckled softly and picked up the bola, carefully winding it back up so he could return it to his shield. Toothless fidgeted as he waited, giving an impatient snort.

"Yes, bud, we'll go flying now. I think you've earned it."

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Astrid sat between Stronggut and her parents, listening to them talk excitedly about the future. She pretended to be preoccupied with enjoying her dinner, but it was very hard to find her appetite when she was surrounded by conversation about her future children—apparently she was going to have at least four or five, most of them being little Stronggut clones. Astrid fought the urge to vomit. It was bewildering to hear how someone else could have her entire life already planned out for her without giving much consideration to how she felt on the subject.

"You know, I'm right _here_," she spoke up, interrupting the conversation before Stronggut could start speculating over names, or something else as equally ridiculous.

"Astrid, are you trying to say you don't want babies?" her mother asked, scandalized by the mere thought.

"No, mother, that's _not _what I'm saying!" Astrid replied, feeling herself go red. "I just have other things I want to do with my life before I get started on all of…_that_."

Stronggut laughed heartily and clapped Astrid on the shoulder.

"Of course, she'll change her mind once we're wed. All women do," he announced, haughtily.

The utter ignorance that could come out of his mouth astounded her sometimes, and Astrid's face burned, not from embarrassment, but a deep indignation at the blatant sexism that flittered back and forth between her parents and her fiancé.

She was about to give an angry retort when she heard a familiar voice call out Stronggut's name. The Hoffersons and the Svensons turned around to see Hiccup walking briskly towards their table. He still had his riding leathers on and he was carrying his leather helmet under one arm. His hair was wind-tousled from flying and his eyes burned with resolve. Astrid's heart skipped a beat because in that instant, she realized what was coming. Just when she was beginning to dread a lifetime of marriage to Stronggut, there was _her_ Hiccup, coming to challenge her fiance for her hand like he had promised. It was all so hopelessly romantic, the way he marched boldly up to them, looking every bit the fierce dragon-riding Viking the marauders in the area had come to fear. _Thor, bless him_.

"I need to speak with you," Hiccup said firmly to Stronggut, who seemed puzzled as to why the Chief's son had any business with him at all.

"Okay…," Stronggut began slowly, rising to his feet. "Do we need to step outside?"

"No. I don't mind having witnesses for what I have to say," Hiccup replied.

Stronggut glanced back at his family who shrugged. Astrid felt his eyes on her too, looking for some support, but she had her gaze fixed determinedly on Hiccup. After a brief moment's hesitation in which Stronggut just stood in awkward silence, Hiccup spoke again.

"I don't think you should marry Astrid," he said. "You're no good for her."

The Svensons and the Hoffersons gasped in unified shock and outrage, but Astrid could not help but smile broadly. She had not thought it was possible to love Hiccup any more than she already did, but he had this knack for proving her wrong. Stronggut just stared back at him, momentarily stunned by the accusation of inadequacy coming from Hiccup, of all people. He quickly rebounded and just laughed loudly, drawing attention from the surrounding tables, as he tried to play it off as a joke.

"I'm afraid I don't share your sense of humor, Haddock," Stronggut replied, trying hard to maintain an air of cordiality, but Hiccup would not oblige him.

"I'm not joking. I don't care if it is a tradition, a marriage between you and Astrid is a bad match," Hiccup explained.

"Now, see here!" Astrid's father roared, slamming his fist against the table. "I don't care if you _are_ Stoick's son, what makes you think you have the _right_ to interfere with this arrangement? It has been agreed upon by both families for years."

Hiccup looked the man dead in the eyes and replied, "I mean you no disrespect, but I'm in love with her. I have _every _right."

Astrid would have swooned, had she been the kind of girl inclined to do so. Thankfully, she was a Viking and such acts were unbecoming.

A small crowd had begun to gather around the scene and while the growing number of spectators seemed to be making Stronggut uncomfortable, Hiccup seemed to neither know nor care how many people were watching. It was almost as if he had counted on drawing an audience. Astrid did not know him to have any sort of flair for the dramatics, but perhaps he needed as many people to hear him challenge Stronggut so the validity of the contest would not be questioned? Or maybe he felt that Stronggut would be less likely to turn him down with enough of the village watching? Either way, the sea of people around them thickened steadily.

"What do you plan to do about it, _exactly_?" Stronggut asked, taking a step towards Hiccup in an effort to intimidate him, but he held his ground.

"I will fight you for her," Hiccup replied.

Stronggut tossed his head back and laughed haughtily at Hiccup's remark.

"_You,_ fight _me_? What do you possibly hope to accomplish? You seriously don't think you'd _win_?" he asked, clapping a hand to his large forehead in disbelief.

"I think I have a fair shot."

"Can you believe this?" Stronggut asked Astrid, eyes wide.

"I think you should give him the opportunity," Astrid answered with a shrug.

Stronggut looked as if she had slapped him across the face and Astrid's parents buried their faces in their hands, too ashamed at their daughter's words to face the Svensons' scrutinizing glares.

"So what do you say, Stronggut. Do we have a _svipting_ or not?" Hiccup asked, firmly.

"No!" Stronggut snapped. "And if you walk away now and never speak of this again, I may just choose to forget this whole, sad thing."

"Are you afraid you might lose?" Hiccup asked, feigning concern, which only served to further antagonize the other Viking.

"I could break you in half right now with my bare hands," Stronggut threatened, taking another step towards Hiccup; he was roughly a foot taller and at least three times as broad, but Hiccup did not balk under his furious gaze.

"Then what's stopping you from putting me in my place in front of the entire village?" Hiccup asked.

"Do you have a death wish?" Stronggut snarled at him.

"No. I just thought you were more _Viking_ than this," Hiccup replied, clearly baiting him then.

Astrid just hoped that Stronggut did not get it in his mind to punch Hiccup out on the spot. That would not be a good way to start off the _svipting_.

"I'm _ten times_ the Viking you could ever hope to be, but Astrid's already mine! I don't see what I have to gain by fighting a cripple," Stronggut hissed.

For a moment, Astrid nearly launched herself at Stronggut in a rage over his use of the _c-word_. It was one thing to mock Hiccup based on his smaller size and thinner frame, because Hiccup had been receiving those same insults for so long they had almost lost their weight. It was a differently thing entirely to bring his amputation into the conversation, considering the manner in which he had lost his leg. Hiccup however, let the comment roll of his back, determined not to let Stronggut avoid the issue at hand, so Astrid let it slide as well.

"Then I suppose I'll just have to accept your cowardice," Hiccup retorted with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. "I have to say I'm disappointed in your lack of Viking spirit."

"C-cowar—How _dare_ you!" Stronggut thundered, closing the gap between them so that he now towered over Hiccup. "If you want me to kick your ass _that_ badly, I'd be more than happy to honor your request!"

Astrid noticed a small grin playing at the corner of Hiccup's mouth—he had Stronggut playing into his hands. Astrid only hoped and prayed to Odin Allfather that Hiccup knew what he was doing.

"Does this mean you finally decided to man up and accept my challenge?" Hiccup asked. He wanted Stronggut to actually say the words.

"Fine! Yes! I accept the terms of your _svipting_!" Stronggut said loudly, so everyone could hear. "You just name the time and place for me to give you the beating of your lifetime. We'll see who the _true_ Viking is!"

"Don't do this!" Stronggut's mother protested. "There's no sense it! He's playing you!"

"No! If he wants to brawl over Astrid, then I'll give him a brawl!" Stronggut snapped. "It's not like it will change anything when I'm through wringing his scrawny little neck. Let no one question _my_ Viking valor again!"

"Tomorrow, then?" Hiccup suggested. "When the sun's at its highest. In the old arena."

"Very well, but we do this like _real_ Vikings. Sword and shield. No dragons!" Stronggut said, narrowing his eyes threateningly.

"Don't do it, boy!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

"'Tis a fool's errand!" Cried another.

"Fine by me," Hiccup replied, and a few members of their audience groaned for him.

Astrid realized there was still an opportunity for Stronggut to change his mind, especially if his parents were going to relentlessly attempt to talk him out of it. She knew, being every bit the stubborn Viking Stronggut was, a few hours were not going to change his mind, but she wanted to play her part in it as well.

"Hiccup!" She said, getting his attention as he turned to leave. "I wish you all the luck in the world tomorrow."

With that, in front of everyone, she leaned in and kissed him deeply. She heard the scandalized gasps of the onlookers but it did not matter anymore. The challenge had been set and there was no point in hiding who she would be rooting for. She felt a large hand grasp her tightly by the wrist, almost to the point of bruising, and Stronggut roughly pulled her apart from Hiccup, stepping between the two of them. He glared down at Hiccup with a menacing scowl, as if he had forced himself on to Astrid against her will. It was certain then that no amount of rational argument against the _svipting_ would prevent Stronggut from facing Hiccup in the arena the next day.

000000

Hiccup left the Great Hall quickly after the terms of the _svipting_ had been decided. He had not minded the crowd that had been present when he formally challenged Stronggut, because it made it nearly impossible for the other young man to back down with his pride intact once he had agreed to the fight. Hiccup did not much care to linger afterwards and explain himself to everyone, though, so he quicklu made his way back home as soon as he could maneuver his way through the crowd.

He had barely collapsed on to his bed when there came a sharp knock at the door. Hiccup sighed heavily, knowing what awaited him on the other side of the door. Sure enough, he opened his door to find Stoick the Vast standing in front of him, his expression unreadable.

"Oh, hey…dad," Hiccup said, trying to sound casual, and failing miserably in the process.

"What were yeh thinking, Hiccup?" Stoick said, getting right to the point.

"So, you've heard all about it, I guess…"

It never ceased to amaze Hiccup how fast news managed to travel back to his father. It was as if he had eyes and ears all over the village.

"I don't think there's a soul on Berk who doesn't know about the mess yeh've made," Stoick replied.

"Mess _I've_—! Dad, I'm trying to _fix_ things!" Hiccup argued.

"It was not yer problem te fix, Hiccup."

"What are you _talking_ about? I was just supposed to sit back and let the girl I love marry someone she can't stand?"

"That's exactly what yeh should've done! There was a long-standing contract between two families, and whether yeh agreed with it or not, yeh should have _respected_ the wishes of yer people."

"They aren't _my_ people yet, dad!"

"But they WILL be!" Stoick thundered, slamming his fist against the wall, causing some of the more worn pieces of wood to splinter.

"Oh, that's nice. Please, destroy my room, while you're at it," Hiccup said sarcastically.

Stoick sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead wearily. "_When_ are yeh going to understand the responsibility yeh carry?" he asked. "There has te come a point, Hiccup, where yeh consider the needs of the village over yer own."

"That's a little unfair, considering what I've already done," Hiccup replied, shifting his weight so that his metal leg creaked, emphasizing his point.

"I just hope, when yeh lose tomorrow, yeh can accept the consequences like a man and let this go," Stoick said, turning for the stairs.

Hiccup stared after him, mouth agape.

"Y'know_, a little paternal support would be appreciated_!" he called after his father, slamming the door shut behind him.

As he turned back to his bed, he nearly had a heart attack, seeing a pair of big, round eyes staring up at him. He managed to stifle the cry of alarm that threatened to escape him, as he willed his heart to slow back to a normal rhythm. Sitting on his bed was a blue Terrible Terror named Sneaky. He was Astrid's dragon, and he lived up to his reputation of being particularly stealthy. Around his leg was bound a small rolled up piece of parchment—air mail.

"Don't _do_ that!" Hiccup reprimanded the dragon, untying the tiny parchment scroll from its leg.

The Terrible Terror just ignored him and leapt off his bed to wrestle with Sharpshot, who had been fidgeting playfully in the corner of the room, trying to get the other dragon's attention. Toothless, who was curled up on his own large stone slab of a bed, watched the two Terrors playing with mild interest.

Hiccup unrolled the air mail and read the note Astrid had hastily scribbled in her small, tidy handwriting.

_Meet me at the cove. Tonight_.

00000000

**Edit:** It was brought to my attention that I made a particularly _bad_ typo that may or may not have been slightly hilarious, depending on how morbid your sense of humor is. In that one sentence, taken out of context, the typo made it sound like Toothless rips Hiccup's arm off. Yeah, no. I'm not _that_ dark. I fixed it. :) If it isn't evident by now, I hate to proofread my work thoroughly. I do it a little while I write, but I won't go back and edit the whole chapter. It's a personality flaw, y'all. I'm working on it, but I'm a _busy_ lady. When I have the time, I like to actually continue the story instead of meticulously searching for all my typos. So I apologize for my lack of proofreading and any irritation it brings you, my dear readers. That being said, let me know if I make any painful errors like that again...but _please_ don't point out all the typos of no consequence. I _know_ they're there.


	9. You've Got Air Mail

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry, y'all! Things have been crazy busy and I was wrestling with a major writer's block, which only made it worse. I've always known how the story was going to play out, but it's the details that will get me! I must've rewritten this chapter like, 3 times. Finally, I bounced some ideas off my sexy editor (he's been following behind me now, cleaning up my typos after I post the chapters online. The man loves me _that_ much. So, if there are typos in this chapter, it's because he hasn't gotten to them yet). He really helped me overcome my nasty block and so I dedicate this chapter to him, with all my love. He's amazing, is what I'm trying to say.

**Disclaimer**: HTTYD is not mine, nor are any of the characters. I just like to borrow them.

00000

Stronggut was angrier than Astrid had ever seen him. He had practically dragged her out of the Great Hall so that he could interrogate her in private. All the while, he kept on wildly pacing back and forth in front of her, like a caged dragon ready to strike.

"This whole time you've had a secret relationship with him?" He asked through clenched teeth. "This. Whole_._ TIME?"

"I have _not_!" Astrid snapped back. "Not the _whole_ time! I didn't even know he still had feelings for me up until a couple weeks or so ago."

"_Still_ had feelings?"

"Oh, come on! You can't tell me you didn't know. Hiccup and I were _kind of_ together long before I even knew I was supposed to marry you. I mean, I use 'together' loosely, but the point still stands it was him long before you," Astrid explained.

"That's no excuse for it now! _We_ are engaged. _We_ will be married. There is no room for him in this!" Stronggut argued.

"There's the perfect excuse for it…he loves me, and he's willing to fight you to prove it."

"Do _you_ love him?" Stronggut asked, narrowing his eyes.

Astrid felt her cheeks grow hot. She had no problem being a little vulnerable in front of Hiccup on most occasions, but Stronggut was a completely different matter.

"What does it even matter, at this point?" She asked, defensively.

"Because I need to know, if this whole time you and I have been together…if every time you kissed me, you were thinking of _him!" _Stronggut hissed, pointing his finger off in some random direction, but Astrid understood the gesture.

She could not answer him, and she could not look at him. She knew he was staring straight at her, eyes boring holes in her as she gazed determinedly at the ground. Her silence seemed to speak volumes and Stronggut let out a howl of fury.

"You've played me!" He said, gripping her tightly by the shoulders, shaking her a little. "Both of you played me!"

"That was _never _the intent! It's not like I _wanted_ things to turn out this way! You and I should never have been arranged to marry, then this whole mess could have been avoided!" Astrid replied, trying to wiggle free from his grasp, but as powerful as she was, Stronggut was clearly stronger.

"Well, it's far too late for that, Astrid! I am _not_ calling off this wedding! I will not suffer the embarrassment! You and I will be married, and not too long after I get through tearing Hiccup apart in front of the entire village! There will be nothing left of your little boyfriend when I'm done with him!" Stronggut roared.

He released her and stormed off down the steps leading to the village center. Astrid breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone. It was true that she had tried to accept marrying Stronggut and that she never wanted to cause him any unnecessary pain; she had no hatred towards him. She could have learned to live with being his wife if there was no alternative path, and up until recently there had not been. Then everything happened with Hiccup and Astrid could not go through with the wedding anymore. If Hiccup had not returned her feelings, maybe she could have moved on and learned to be happy with Stronggut, but Hiccup loved her too. Anything short of being with him would be living a lie. Stronggut had just been collateral damage in what really was, and always had been, the evolution of Hiccup and Astrid's relationship.

"Astrid!" Came her mother's voice from behind her, making her jump.

_Here we go_. _More yelling_. Astrid could only assume her mother had come to scold her, while her father was probably still in the Great Hall, trying to smooth things over with the Svensons—an impossible feat for even the most diplomatic of souls, given the circumstances.

"What has gotten into your head, girl?" Her mother cried, angrily.

"Mother, I don't want to marry Stronggut, and I can only pray Hiccup wins the fight tomorrow, so I don't have to," Astrid said, firmly.

"He's not going to win!" her mother said, waving her hand dismissively. "You'll have to marry Stronggut anyway, and now you've only gone and made things worse for yourself!"

"He _could_ win!" Astrid argued, but the look of doubt on her mother's face only reflected the same doubt Astrid felt inside about Hiccup's chances.

"Astrid, please! You need to accept things for what they are and stop running off with that boy in secret, like the town harlot."

"H-_harlot_! Are you serious? Mother, Hiccup's barely touched me!" Astrid replied, furiously. "And he wouldn't unless I let him—"

"—And you'd better _not_ let him!" Her mother snapped. "The Svensons have already assumed the worst about the two of you."

"I don't see how it's any of their business—"

"—You're marrying their son! It _is_ their business!"

"If I wasn't engaged, like almost every other teenager on this island, nobody would care _what _I did, or did not do with Hiccup. The only difference now is this marriage contract that _I_ never agreed to in the first place! Suddenly it gives everyone the right to be involved in my personal life!"

"This marriage is a smart match, Astrid. Both our families will benefit," her mother said simply.

"If status and influence are what you're after, why _not_ let me run off with the Chief's son? I mean, I can't see how anyone could possibly have more status!"

"Astrid, please!"

"But this has _never_ been about status—not for you and dad anyway. This has always been about keeping the peace and honoring tradition, because you're _afraid_ of the Svensons. You're afraid of what'll they'll do, or what they'll say. Honoring your word and protecting a reputation is more important to you than whether or not I'm happy!" Astrid snapped.

"When you have your own family someday, you'll understand the importance of maintaining a good family name! So, please consider your father and I before you drag your family down into the mud with you," her mother said, before storming back into the Great Hall.

Astrid was fuming. It seemed as though everyone was against her. She considered herself close to her parents but in this one important, life-defining matter, they were at complete odds with one another. As much as she loved them, Astrid could not help feeling some resentment towards her parents. They had helped arrange the marriage, they had kept it from her for years, and now they chose to keep their word to save face. Astrid was not accustomed to feeling betrayed by her parents, but there was no other way to describe how she felt.

There were only a handful of hours left before the _svipting_, and unless Hiccup was victorious, she would not be seeing much more of him afterwards—her family and new in-laws were going to see to that. She had to take advantage of the time she had while she still could, so she hurried home to send a very important air mail:

_Meet me at the cove. Tonight._

She fastened to the message to her Terrible Terror's hind leg and scratched him under the chin.

"Sneaky, take that letter to Hiccup. Be _stealthy_ about it," she commanded.

The little blue dragon leapt to the floor and crawled out of her window as silent and graceful as an alley cat. Astrid was pleased. She did not expect that anyone would notice Sneaky and intercept her letter.

She flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to forget the ugliness that had transpired between herself and her fiancé, as well as the argument with her mother. She knew she was not completely innocent, having spent the previous three years convincing Stronggut and everyone else that she was happy about the marriage, but she was coming of age. She felt she should be able to control her own fate if she wanted to. As long as Hiccup won, she would finally enjoy that right, but she admittedly had her doubts about his chances. It was not like Hiccup had a particularly impressive fighting record to stand on and Stronggut, well…he was Stronggut.

Astrid tried to drown out the uncomfortable memories of that afternoon by daydreaming of what she and Hiccup might do alone together in the cove. There were so many possibilities for their secret nighttime rendezvous, and Astrid was eager to pick up where they had left off on Dragon Island. She smiled to herself, thinking that the cove seemed much more appropriate since it was sort of _their _spot anyway. After all, if was where Hiccup had managed to shatter every perception she had ever had about him and about dragons. It was where her feelings for him had grown from annoyance into something else. Soon, Astrid felt her eyelids growing heavy, drifting off to very pleasant thoughts of Hiccup's eyes, his lips on hers, the feel of his hands on her skin…

There came a loud, urgent pounding on her bedroom door, jolting her awake.

"Coming!" Astrid called, groggily.

She rolled out of bed, trying to straighten up her clothes and look more presentable as she stumbled towards the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to find her parents, the Svensons, and Stronggut standing there. They looked a little silly, five large Vikings crammed together on the narrow landing at the top of the stairs, in front of her bedroom.

"What is this about?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"We all discussed what to do with you in light of recent…events," Stronggut said with a scowl. "We have come the conclusion that you cannot be trusted, given the circumstances."

"_Excuse me?"_ Astrid replied, challengingly.

"Your wedding is in one week," her mother said, "and we all feel, until then, you need to be kept under a more watchful eye."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Tell me you weren't thinking about sneaking out and seeing _him_," Stronggut said.

Astrid felt her face burn, and she was furious with Odin Allfather for giving Vikings the ability to blush.

"The fight's tomorrow. Can't this wait until after a victor has been decided? Then you can _really_ decide whether I've been improper. If Hiccup wins, this is all a moot point," Astrid argued, trying to shut the door, but Stronggut reached out and forced it open.

In a gross violation of personal space, Stronggut took a large step forward and crossed the threshold into her bedroom without invitation. Astrid's eyes darted to her parents who shifted uneasily, as if they were about to speak out against the gesture, but they remained silent.

"You _will_ be my wife in a matter of days, so I feel no qualms about doing this," Stronggut said, towering over her in the display of height he used so often to be intimidating.

"Doing _what_?" Astrid hissed, glaring up at him.

"With the exception of wedding affairs, you are to remain in this room until the wedding," Astrid's mother explained.

"If you leave this house, it is only with an escort," her father added.

Astrid stared at them in disbelief. What had happened to the parents that had always loved and respected her?

"Don't look at us like that," her mother chided. "You brought this upon yourself, Astrid."

"You're treating me like some kind of _criminal!_" she snapped. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Running off with someone else while you're engaged to be married isn't 'wrong' to you, is it?" Stronggut's mother asked, bitterly.

"I didn't _run off_ with Hiccup!" Astrid argued. "I gave him one kiss. _One_." That was all she was going to admit to, anyway.

"You love him, though," Stronggut said, angrily. "I don't think your judgment can be trusted in this."

"Stop resisting us so much, Astrid. Things will be easier that way," her mother said sternly.

"Easier for whom?" Astrid replied.

Stronggut backed out of her room saying, "After we're married, you'll realize how foolish this whole ordeal has been…how foolish it's made you look. You'll come to your senses."

He slammed the door shut and Astrid lunged forward, trying to wrench it open but someone, most likely her fiancé, was forcing it to remain closed from the other side.

"You can't do this!" She shouted, beating her fist against the door.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Astrid her father say from the other side. It did not sound like he was talking to her.

Astrid quieted down and pressed her ear against the wood, listening hard.

"You think she should be free to sneak around with anyone she pleases?" Stronggut's father argued.

"Of course not! I just think Astrid is old enough to be _reasoned_ with. This seems a bit extreme," her father replied.

"I think you underestimate the severity of the situation," Stronggut's mother said.

"You assured us there would be no issues with the arrangement," Stronggut's father grumbled.

"We assumed she had gotten over Hiccup years ago!" Her mother said defensively. "She seemed to accept the idea just fine. I had no idea she still loved the boy."

"This whole situation has become such a mess," Astrid's father said, sighing heavily. "Perhaps it would be best if we just called the whole thing off? This marriage is destined to be one of animosity from the start."

"Forget it!" Stronggut snapped. "Astrid will be my wife! I will not suffer the embarrassment of losing her to _Hiccup_!"

"Listen to yourself, son! That's my _daughter_ you're talking about. She's not some trophy!" Astrid's father pleaded.

"It goes deeper than that. My father sacrificed his life to save the Hofferson matriarch from the jaws of a Monsterous Nightmare. That is a blood debt that _must_ be repaid. Or have you forgotten that?" Stronggut's father hissed. "The least your family can do is reward ours with the same status and influence on Berk that you all know so well. With the new order of things, families like ours are becoming irrelevant. We don't train dragons, but a union between our two clans is enough to compensate for that fact."

An uncomfortable silence settled on the landing and the tension was palpable through Astrid's bedroom door. Finally she was beginning to understand the position her parents were in. It went deeper than status. There apparently had been some deeper debt that needed to be settled and the Svensons were holding their family reputation hostage, using the supposed debt as an excuse, because status alone would not have been enough to persuade her parents to maintain the arranged marriage. A debt of blood and honor had much more weight in their culture.

"You need not remind us of events past," Astrid's father replied bitterly.

"Well, if that is true, then surely there will be no more talk of dissolving this marriage contract?" Stronggut's mother asked.

"Very well," her father reluctantly conceded.

"Wonderful! Now, Astrid will remain under house arrest until the wedding, agreed?" Stronggut's father asked.

"So be it," her mother said.

"What about the fight tomorrow? Surely she should be able to attend that and watch me beat Hiccup into the ground," Stronggut said, sounding far too excited about the idea.

"I think that is reasonable," his mother said. "After all, watching Stronggut defeat Hiccup may remind her why our son is best for her."

Astrid's parents did not say anything.

"Okay, should I take the first watch?" Stronggut asked, patting Astrid's bedroom door.

"No. You need to sleep well tonight. You have a fight to win, come tomorrow," his father replied.

"It won't be much of a contest," Stronggut said, with an arrogant laugh.

Astrid heard him descend the stairs, leaving both sets of parents on the landing.

"Someone needs to watch her bedroom as well as the outside of your home, in case she tries to sneak out a window," Stronggut's mother suggested.

"I will take first watch of the outside," his father volunteered.

"I will watch her door," Astrid's father said firmly.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Stronggut's mother asked, suspiciously.

"By Thor, she's _my_ child. This is _my_ house! My wife and I will will hold up our end of the deal," her father declared.

"Very well. We will bid you a good night. It should be a most interesting _svipting_ tomorrow, however brief it may be," Stronggut's father said.

He and his wife chuckled softly, taking their leave. Astrid thought she had rarely met more miserable people.

"Well, I guess I will take first watch," her father said, door creaking slightly as he leaned against it.

"I will go get you a chair," her mother said softly.

It was now just Astrid and her father, separated by only a few planks of wood. Her anger at her parents had since dissolved. She understood they felt as trapped by the situation as she did, and it did not hurt that they were no more fans of the arranged marriage than she was.

"Dad?" she whispered, pressing her hand gently against the door.

"I'm here, Astrid."

"I'm sorry."

"No, Astrid. I'm the one who is sorry."

Astrid pressed her forehead against the door and scrunched her eyes shut, trying to cry. She knew the tears were right there. She knew she would feel better even if she had just managed to shed a few. It was an appropriate situation for it. Still, Astrid Hofferson seemed incapable of crying. She could apparently blush without a moment's hesitation, but crying seemed to beyond her capacity.

"Maybe Hiccup will win tomorrow?" she said, softly.

"I hope he does," her father replied candidly.

000000

Hiccup had been waiting in the cove for what seemed like ages, but Astrid had still not shown. Toothless growled impatiently, resentful he had been woken up and flown to the cove for what appeared to be no reason. Astrid's message had been frustratingly vague about the time she supposedly wanted to meet up, but it was two hours past nightfall and Hiccup had the sinking feeling that something was wrong. Astrid was almost always punctual, and even if she had not set a specific meeting time, she would not have kept him waiting there so long. He needed to check on her and he realized he already had the perfect solution. Sneaky, the Terrible Terror, was still in his bedroom curled up next to Sharpshot, and Hiccup felt another air mail was in order.

"Let's go home, bud," he said, patting Toothless on the side before climbing into the saddle.

The flight back to the Haddock domicile was quick one, and when Hiccup quietly opened the front door, the sound of Stoick's snores met his ears. His father was not waiting up for him, so Hiccup could only assume his father had no idea he had even left. As overbearing as he could sometimes be, Stoick did have enough sense to give Hiccup space, particularly after an argument. It was one of his father's more redeeming qualities and it had served Hiccup very well.

"Thank Odin," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. There would be no more admonishment that night.

He quickly ascended the stairs to his bedroom and found the two slumbering Terrible Terrors where he had left them. Unlike Toothless and Stormfly, the Terrible Terrors shared a relationship with their humans more akin to a housecat than an actual friend. Sharpshot and Sneaky seemed to have a closer bond with one another than they did with either Hiccup or Astrid, but the dragons could still be trained and could demonstrate some form of loyalty. Hiccup did care for Sharpshot in the way he cared about any other domesticated dragon, but there was no comparison between his relationship with Sharpshot and his bond with Toothless. The large black dragon squeezed through the door behind him and made a beeline for his stone slab eyeing Hiccup in a way that suggested he was not to be roused again.

"Some _Night_ Fury, you are," Hiccup teased, and Toothless just ignored him, fanning out his tail fin in front of his face.

Hiccup grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a quick note to Astrid before kneeling in front of Sneaky. As he tied the note to Sneaky's leg, the little blue dragon looked perturbed that he was being asked to deliver air mail at such a late hour. He was much more content to stay where he was.

"I _know_, but this is important," Hiccup said, scratching Sneaky under his chin. "I'm worried about Astrid."

At the mention of his owner's name, Sneaky perked up. The dragon's tongue darted out of one side of his mouth and wrapped around his head to touch the opposite eyeball, in that way only Terrible Terrors seemed capable of doing. Hiccup was still undecided whether he found that trait endearing or gross.

"Please be quick," he told the tiny dragon, with a final pat on its head.

Sneaky stretched out his legs for moment and then he was off, crawling out of the window as silently as he had first come in. Now, Hiccup just had to wait. He laid down on his bed, gazing lackadaisically at the ceiling, trying not to think too hard about his fight the following day. It was true that he had a strategy, one he believed to be pretty solid, but he could not deny that Stronggut was a formidable opponent. He had been looking forward to winning the fight and being able to finally be with Astrid, but the fight itself was not a pleasant thought. If he made it out without any serious injury, then the gods were being unusually kind to him. Granted, they had spared his life in his battle with the Red Death, but they had taken most of a leg in the process. He and Astrid were more or less together, as he had hoped and prayed for, but she was also engaged and he had to fight a beast of a Viking to win her hand. Yes, blessings in his life always seemed oddly backhanded.

Hiccup had not been aware that his thoughts had carried him off to sleep until he found himself being woken up by a gentle pressure on his lower abdomen. He opened his eyes to see Sneaky sitting on his stomach, staring down at him with his large, protrudent yellow eyes.

"_Odin's ghost!_" Hiccup exclaimed sitting bolt upright, knocking Sneaky off of him.

The small cerulean dragon glared at him reproachfully from the foot of the bed as Hiccup clutched his chest, willing his heart to clam back down. He noticed Sneaky had a folded piece of parchment tied to his leg.

"You are going to_ kill_ me!" he snapped, reaching forward to untie the message. It read:

_I am so sorry I left you waiting, Hiccup. I am under house arrest until the marriage. My parents and in-laws are guarding the house. I am trapped like a rat, but I am so glad you wrote to me. It makes this tolerable._

Hiccup read the note twice to make sure he had understood. Astrid was under house arrest? He was furious. She had not done anything wrong that anyone _knew_ about. Okay, maybe she had kissed him in front of everyone, but he was the one who had called the _svipting_, not her. Now she was being punished in order to placate her fiancé's fury and jealousy. He could not believe the depths to which Stronggut had sunk. He knew the other Viking was proud, most Berkians were in some degree, but to have Astrid imprisoned to protect his own ego was very enlightening as to the kind of person Stronggut was, deep down. Hiccup had not anticipated the other young man being so easily unraveled.

_Astrid, I am sorry for only causing you more trouble. That is not what I wanted. Should I come bust you out?_

Hiccup tied his response to Sneaky's leg and the dragon gave an exasperated growl before heading out again. He did not know how he was going to rescue Astrid with her house and her bedroom being guarded, but if she needed him, he was prepared to figure out some sort of solution. He began to pace back and forth, impatiently waiting for her reply. It did not take too long before Sneaky returned, abandoning all attempts at stealth. Apparently, the dragon was finally catching on that Hiccup was not a fan of its talent.

_It is not your fault, but I appreciate the sentiment. Do NOT come rescue me. Things are deeper than you realize. You will only be giving the Svensons more of an excuse. It is what they want, to make you out to be some kind of terrible person. Do not let them have that satisfaction. I will be fine. Just win tomorrow._

Hiccup replied:

_If Stronggut is this easily rattled, I think I can use it to my advantage_. _For now, if it makes life easier for you, we will play along. I want him to think he has control. Besides, I think I have disappointed my dad enough for one day, so maybe it is best if I walk the line for now._

Astrid wrote back:

_I hope you know what you are doing. Stronggut is out for your blood. _

_ Would not be the first time someone wanted to kill me. I am sure it will not be the last, either. I know what I am doing. Can I convince you to trust me? It would really help walking into the arena…_

_ Fine. I trust you. Just win, though._

_ I am not convinced. Why did you want to meet me at the cove tonight, anyway?_

_ Use your imagination, Hiccup…_

Hiccup's heart felt as though it did a small somersault in his chest. Astrid had been planning on doing _that_ with him? That night? He suddenly hated Stronggut even more fore locking Astrid in her room. Granted, Hiccup wanted her to be free just on principle, but knowing that Astrid was wanting him just as badly as he wanted her, and that one jealous Viking was standing in their way, was enough to make Hiccup feel like starting the fight right then. There was nothing like a surge of testosterone to make him feel a little bold and reckless, but he knew he could not act on it.

For one thing, if the Svensons really had some other, deeper reason for keeping the marriage contract alive, as Astrid had alluded to, then riding in on Toothless, plasma blasts flying, would only serve to embolden them in whatever their cause was. Astrid seemed to be caught in the middle of it so any repercussions would likely fall on her. It seemed that the marriage itself was not the end game, which only made Hiccup even angrier that Astrid was being used as a pawn in someone else's personal agenda. The only way to begin to fix things was to win the _svipting_, then the Svensons would either have to give up on their ultimate goal or pursue a different course of action to achieve it—one that did not involve ruining his and Astrid's lives in the process. Hiccup also knew there was this invisible line that he needed to be mindful of. He was going to be the future chief of Berk, as his father took care to frequently remind him. As much as he hated to admit that reputation still mattered to him anymore, there was no denying it did. There was more riding on the fight than just his relationship with Astrid. Even if he did not win, he at least needed to be able to hold his own. No other Viking dared to mess with him if he had Toothless, but he needed to earn his people's respect as a man, apart from his dragon. If he stole Astrid away in the middle of the night, even if _nothing_ _happened_, the way it appeared to blatantly disrespect the Hofferson and Svenson clan would undermine his status as a reliable and trustworthy leader. Gods, he hated when his dad was right.

There was a way the whole messy situation needed to be handled, and at that moment, airing on the side of caution was the best move, for everyone. He needed the village to see him respecting tradition and keeping his composure. He needed to be seen as the better man, the better Viking, especially during the fight. Getting inside Stronggut's head, unhinging him, would be just as vital as the physical element of their brawl. The mental battle would be key to winning the physical one. It began that night, letting the Svensons believe they had the upper hand, luring Stronggut into a false sense of security.

Hiccup wrote one last note to Astrid. It read:

_Your dragon has just about had it. This is the last thing I will write tonight. I will keep my distance until right before the fight. This will let Stronggut think I am intimidated. Right before everyone heads down to the arena I will come and find you. Look for me._

He read his note over one final time. Before tying it to Sneaky's leg, he added:

_I love you_.

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Astrid's stomach was in knots, and she was not even the one supposed to fight Stronggut. She had dutifully sat next to her fiancé at breakfast, making no attempt to leave or look for Hiccup. She knew he would not make a move to find her until it was just about time for the _svipting_ to begin. All around the village there was talk of the coming match between Stronggut and Hiccup. Astrid did not want to speak of the fight, she could hardly stand the suspense. It took everything she had not to vomit when Stronggut's friends, family, and well-wishers came over to lavish him with praise and votes of confidence, which he swore to them he would not need. Astrid wanted to reach up and slap the smug right off his arrogant face. No one really made an effort to speak to Astrid, except her parents. She was seen as the instigator, the trouble-maker—the one who caused the two young men to fight for her. Apparently, rumor had spread overnight that she had been playing both Stronggut and Hiccup off one another. On a personal level, she could not care less what anyone else thought. She found it a bit of a double standard however, that the boys were seen as innocent while she was viewed as the evil temptress, even though _she _was the one being forced into a marriage she did not want. Funny how, in a culture where women could be equally powerful and respected as the men in combat, socially there was still room for improvement.

"Place your bets! Come on, Vikings! Place your bets here!" shouted a very familiar, irritating voice.

Astrid whipped around to see Snotlout and the twins standing in the center of the Great Hall, collecting bets on the outcome of the _svipting_.

"Excuse me," she said to Stronggut as she rose from the table, "I need to go talk to my…_friends_."

Stronggut nodded but turned around to watch her as she stormed over to the other teens.

_"WHAT_ are you doing?" she snapped at Snotlout, hands on her hips.

"Taking bets. What's it look like?" Tuffnut replied, trying to look innocent.

"A dozen chicken eggs that Stronggut clobbers Hiccup in under ten minutes? I like the way you think, my good sir!" Snotlout said, writing down a man's bet on the long roll of parchment he was holding. Much to Astrid's disgust, there was actually a line forming to place bets.

"We've got some good ones," Ruffnut said, scanning her list. "A bucket of yak's milk…two sheep…some guy even bet a week's worth of his daily catch!"

"Yeah, but those are the people betting Hiccup will lose. The real suckers are the ones betting he will win!" Snotlout said. "They're really going to have to pay up!"

"_I_ happen to think he will win!" Astrid said, frowning.

"Well, that would make you a sucker, wouldn't it?" Snotlout teased.

Astrid grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and raised her fist to deliver a hard punch to his face when someone cleared their throat loudly behind her. The teens all jumped and Astrid turned to see Stoick the Vast towering over them.

"Is there a problem?" he asked calmly, yet with an undertone that suggested there better _not_ be.

"No, no! We were just leaving!" Snotlout said quickly, gesturing to the twins.

The three of them rolled up their parchment and hurried out of the Great Hall, leaving Astrid standing there awkwardly in Stoick's shadow. She gazed up at him warily, expecting him to reprimand her for something—blaming this whole mess on her as so many others had. Surprisingly, he did no such thing.

He just clapped her reassuringly on the shoulder and said, "No matter what happens today, yeh still have my respect, Astrid Hofferson. I just wish, as yer chief, I could have done more, but it was not my place."

Astrid felt a rush of affection for him and she would have thrown her arms around him in gratitude, if it were not for the fact that it was simply not appropriate, especially given the circumstances.

"Thank you," she said simply. "I understand your hands were tied."

Stoick nodded, turning to leave, but Astrid felt she had one more thing that needed to be said.

"He tries hard, you know…to make you proud," she blurted out.

Stoick considered her carefully for a moment then replied, "I know he does, but Hiccup needs te understand the responsibility he carries, even if it requires him te act…or _not act_ on what he personally believes. It will make him a better chief someday, and that's all I want fer him. That being said, when he_ does_ go his own way, it does not make me any less proud that he's my son."

Astrid was testing boundaries and she knew it, but she said, "You should tell _him _that."

Stoick just patted her awkwardly on the shoulder again and walked away without another word. Astrid shook her head—and she thought _her_ relationship with Hiccup was complicated…

She returned to her seat next to Stronggut and at that point, time only seemed to speed up. Little by little, the Great Hall started to empty as everyone made their way to the arena to claim their viewing spot. Then, somewhere, a horn was sounded and Stronggut let out an enthusiastic cheer.

"_Finally_! I thought it would never get here," he said, picking up his sword and shield, looking positively giddy with excitement.

Astrid was thankful that a simple sword and shield were the weapons of choice for the fight. She knew Stronggut could inflict some serious damage with just about any weapon he used, but he was downright lethal with a battle ax. Every slight disadvantage Stronggut had was one more slight advantage for Hiccup.

As they made their way to the dragon training academy, which was now to be used as the battle arena for which it was originally built, Astrid began searching for any sign of Hiccup. She began to fall back behind her parents and the Svensons, who were talking about all the ways in which Stronggut would completely pulverize Hiccup; Astrid's parents remained silent. She was beginning to feel desperate when someone reached out and caught her gently by the wrist. She spun around in alarm, but relief washed over her when she saw Hiccup standing there, a finger pressed to his lips. He gestured for her to follow him and she was more than happy to do so.

When they were out of earshot of everyone, Astrid asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"To get inside Stronggut's head. You're going to help me," he said, quickly leading her toward the arena from a different direction, away from the crowd.

"I'm all ears!" she replied, heart pounding in anticipation.

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The whole village had turned up to see the fight, even those who had not been present when Hiccup had challenged Stronggut the day before. Word traveled fast on the tiny island of Berk. No one really expected Hiccup to win, but they were looking forward to a good show anyway. It may have been perverse by some standards, to derive pleasure from watching two young men beat each other senseless over a woman, but Vikings did love their violence. The peace Berk now enjoyed was welcomed, but a Viking did miss a bit of action every now and then.

The crowd roared to life when Stronggut entered the arena, holding his sword and shield above his head, proudly puffing out his chest like the Viking heroes of old. It may have been a bit theatrical, but the crowd just ate it up. His parents ran into the arena to wish him luck and shower him with a last bit of praise. The Hoffersons walked in too, but they looked very reluctant to be there. Stronggut glanced around at his adoring parents and future in-laws, but his face fell as if he was looking for someone in particular, someone he could not find. The audience seemed to read his mind, and soon whispers of "where's Astrid?" and "Did they run off?" reverberated throughout the crowd.

"Is this it then?" Stronggut roared, so everyone could hear him. "Is this the cowardice we can expect from the chief's son?"

People were turning to look at Stoick as he presided over the event. Stronggut and Stoick stared each other down, but the Chief of Berk did nothing but hold his tongue as he clenched his fists.

"You've all now witnessed it for yourselves!" Stronggut shouted. "Hiccup, your future _chief_, is the kind of person who would do this—would steal another man's wife and carry her off without second thought!"

"Impossible. Their dragons are still here," came a small voice in the crowd; it was Fishlegs, who immediately fell silent under Stronggut's furious gaze.

"Then where is he hiding, and what has he done with Astrid?" Stronggut asked aloud, glancing around at all the faces, daring someone else to answer; there was no response.

Stronggut paced around his end of the arena, yelling at the crowd, trying to rile them up against Hiccup.

"He's a coward! He's chickened out! He was too afraid to fight me like a _man_!"

People in the crowd began to shift uneasily as he grew angrier.

"Where is Hiccup, huh? _Where. Is. HE?"_ Stronggut hissed through clenched teeth.

"I'm right here," came Hiccup's voice.

The crowd gave a collective gasp—or maybe it was a sound of relief, as Hiccup entered the arena, and Astrid was with him. She was not standing behind him, shy or embarrassed. The two of them proudly walked side by side, holding hands, fingers laced, staring Stronggut down challengingly. Their steps were synchronized and they moved as if they were one. Their eyes burned equally with resolve, and the air around them seemed to be electrically charged with such an intensity that Stronggut took a step back, involuntarily. They stopped on the opposite side of the arena, standing there silently. The way they stood so boldly proclaimed to the whole village that they were together, and it was as if they _dared_ anyone to say anything different.

"What are you doing?" Stronggut snapped, eyes almost bulging with fury. "That's my WIFE!"

"No, she's _not_," Hiccup said firmly.

"And I never will be," Astrid added, moving closer to Hiccup.

"Not so fast! You have to beat me first! Until then, she's still mine!" Stronggut said, raising his sword and shield as he crouched into a fighting stance.

"Then let's not delay this any longer," Hiccup replied, releasing Astrid's hand.

She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and hurried out of the arena, followed by her parents and the Svensons. The gated entrance closed behind them and it was just Hiccup and Stronggut left, both ready to give their all to win the fight. One of them fought for pride, the other fought for love. The crowded waited with bated breath to discover which was stronger.

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	10. Valhalla Is Closer Than You Think

**Author's Note:**Here we are, dear readers! It's the final chapter, not including the short epilogue I plan to write. Thank you all for your support and very kind reviews. It has made me _so_ happy to know that I wrote a good enough story that managed entertain so many people. I never thought I was any good at writing, so I never bothered with it before. This is the first work of fan fiction I have_ ever_ posted on a public forum, and the feedback has only been encouraging me to write more, and I have grown to love doing it. Let's just say I don't expect this to be the last piece of HTTYD fan fiction I write. ;) You all are why I do this. Much love to you. Please, enjoy!

To my wonderful, sexy editor: You are _awesomesauce_! Thank you for cleaning up my messes. You are the Hiccup to my Astrid. Let's collaborate again very soon!

Lastly, I take generous liberties with fictional science and weaponry in this chapter. To be honest, I don't science well, y'all. I just kind of took a concept and rolled with it. Rolled _hard_. I hope you can suspended disbelief a little, for me. Please? :D

**Disclaimer:**Do we need to go over it again? I don't own HTTYD. It gives me a big sad. D,:

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Stronggut stared Hiccup down from across the arena, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck menacingly. Hiccup could not explain the unnatural calm that had settled over him, but as he glared back at his stronger, much larger opponent, he was not afraid. It was not that he expected the fight to be _easy_, by any means, and he knew he was going to take a few really hard hits from Stronggut. Still, he was not nervous. What he was doing was _right. _ He and Astrid were _right_. That knowledge equipped him with the peace of mind he would need to keep a level head to outthink and outmaneuver Stronggut. Even though Hiccup predicted he was about to experience quite a fair amount of pain, he still believed he was capable of winning the fight. The thought kept his resolve strong.

Gobber entered the arena, the gate closing once more behind him. He hobbled forward to stand between the two Vikings; he usually served as the emcee for these kind of events. He raised his hand and, well…_hook_, and the crowd's excited chattering ceased almost immediately.

"It's been a while since we've gotten to enjoy a good, Ol' fashioned _svipting_!" he said, and a few in the crowd cheered in agreement. "When we embraced livin' with dragons, I thought tha' would be the end to any sort eh' bloodshed. It's good to see tha' some traditions never die!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Gobber always had a way with words. So eloquent, so _sensitive…_

"Kick his ass, Hiccup!" someone cried.

"Svenson will win! It's not even a contest!" shouted another.

The crowd roared to life again, cheering for their desired victor. Gobber raised his arms to silence them.

"I'll admit, the circumstances surrounding this particular fight are…surprising, to say the least! Who'd have thought it, eh? Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III has challenged Stronggut Svenson fer the right to court Astrid Hofferson. The winner of this battle will walk away, not only with his pride, but fair Astrid's hand."

Hiccup searched the crowd and saw Astrid nudging her way to the very front row of spectators. She seemed oblivious that she was receiving some rather accusatory stares, or she just did not care. Hiccup figured it was probably the latter, knowing Astrid. She gazed down at him, her blue eyes full of concern. He nodded up at her, trying to give her a reassuring smile. She returned it best she could, given the fact she seemed worried enough for the both of them. The last time he could remember Astrid looking this concerned for his well being, he had been about to recklessly take on the largest dragon their people had ever seen. Hiccup could see the parallels between that battle and this one. He _really_ needed to stop picking fights with much larger, stronger foes. It was not one of his healthier habits.

"The rules of the _svipting _go like this: each Viking gets one sword, and one shield of his choosing. No additional weapons, or _dragons…_" Gobber said pointedly, "are allowed. They will fight until eh' clear winner is determined or, yeh know, one of them _dies…_"

Gobber cast Hiccup a sideways glance as if to say _it will probably be you_. Hiccup frowned at him. He was starting to really get annoyed at how little faith everyone had in him.

"Do both of yeh agree to the terms of the fight?" Gobber asked.

"Yes," Stronggut said, narrowing his eyes at Hiccup.

"Agreed," Hiccup replied, calmly.

"Well, let's get this thing started!" Gobber exclaimed, quickly limping out of the way.

Hiccup grasped the hilt of his sword tightly, unsheathing it from the scabbard belted to his right leg. He raised his Gronckle Iron shield as Stronggut let out an angry battle cry and charged at him, sword raised. As much speed and power as he had, Stronggut was no Night Fury, and Hiccup leapt out of the way, dodging the swing of his sword. Hiccup internally thanked every god he could think of that he had taken the time to train with Toothless in the weeks leading up to match. At least he was _prepared_.

Stronggut swung his other arm around at full force, slamming his shield into Hiccup's, trying to knock him off balance before swinging his sword in a downward arc. Astrid had not been exaggerating when she had warned Hiccup of her fiancé's strength. The impact from each of his blows made Hiccup's teeth rattle. That was one vital difference between fighting Stronggut and fighting Toothless—his loyal dragon companion had never tried to _kill_ him. There was a ferocity and hatred in Stronggut's moves that Toothless could not replicate. It made Stronggut wild and unpredictable. It made him lethal.

Hiccup blocked another blow aimed at his face only to see Stronggut do a sort of half step backwards and swing the blade at his legs. Hiccup managed to jump back out of reach but he lost his footing, stumbling into the cold stone wall behind him. Stronggut seized the opportunity, casting his shield aside and sprinting at him with his sword clutched in both hands._ He was going to run him through! _ Hiccup's breath caught and he allowed his knees to give out, dropping to the ground and hearing the screech of metal on stone above his head. He did not take the time to analyze Stronggut's next move before somersaulting out of his vulnerable position at the other Viking's feet. He leapt back up to a standing position, spinning around with his shield raised in time to block another deathblow meant for him.

Stronggut rose up to his full height before throwing his weight behind his sword, trying to force Hiccup's arm to buckle and fail him under the pressure being exerted against his shield. Admittedly, Hiccup's arm was shaking as he pushed back against his assailant with all his strength. He gritted his teeth and continued to resist, beads of sweat breaking out across his brow.

"You're never going to win this one," Stronggut hissed at Hiccup. "Run and evade—that's all you know how to do. You'll run out of tricks sooner or later!"

Stronggut chuckled threateningly, seeming to thoroughly enjoy taunting him. Hiccup was not flustered. Growing up with a cousin like Snotlout, he was no stranger to threats of bodily harm. He took advantage of Stronggut's momentarily lapse of concentration by suddenly throwing all his weight behind his own shield, driving it into Stronggut's torso with his shoulder. The larger Viking staggered back a couple of paces and Hiccup deployed the grappling line contained within his Gronckle Iron invention. The cord tightly wound itself around Stronggut's legs and Hiccup flipped a small switch along the shield's rim, yanking the other Viking's legs out from underneath him. Hiccup was able to make out the split second look of surprise on his face before Stronggut landed hard on his back, gasping as the wind was knocked out of him. Hiccup cut the line with his sword when it grew taught and was no longer effective at pulling in the other Viking's dead weight. He could have tried to attack Stronggut while he was in such a vulnerable position, but Hiccup knew that the other Viking still had a firm grip on his sword, and he knew better than trying to overtake Stronggut while he was still armed.

"I still have quite a few tricks left, _thanks_," Hiccup replied.

There was a mixed reaction from the spectators above. Most of the village seemed to be cheering Hiccup on, but a fair number shouted their protests laced with a few creative obscenities.

Stronggut sliced through the grappling line with his sword and got back on his feet, eyes blazing with fury.

"You miserable, _cheating_ son of a b—!"

"One shield of our choosing! That is what we agreed to," Hiccup reminded him. "This happens to be the one I chose."

Stronggut shot Gobber a look of indignation, expecting him to call some kind of foul play.

"Eh, Hiccup's right. His shield is still eh' shield, even with eh' few…_modifications_," Gobber decided, with a shrug.

"Fine! I don't care what pathetic little invention you use! All you're doing is drawing this out, which is fine by me. I'll enjoy kicking your ass longer. I'll make you regret not striking me down while I was on my back!" Stronggut snapped at Hiccup.

"I don't understand why winning this is so important to you! You're not even in love with Astrid. Why are you so_ determined_ to ruin her life?" Hiccup asked, angrily.

"Because she was mine first!" Stronggut replied.

"How old are you? Five?"

"Shut up! There's more to it than that! Her family_ owes_ mine and this is how we settle the debt!"

"Have you even considered there may be another way to work things out with the Hoffersons? Why are you clinging to this arranged marriage to someone you don't even care that much about?"

"I do care about Astrid!" Stronggut shouted.

"As a _possession!_" Hiccup snapped. "I _love _her!"

"Like I care? I'm not about to lose Astrid to some…some…_hiccup_!"

"Wow._ Original_. Did you come up with that all by yourself?" Hiccup said, flatly.

It came down to pride again. Stronggut could not even give a valid reason as to why he insisted on marrying Astrid, other than parroting what his parents had already told him. Clearly, he was not too bright and likely as much of a pawn in the whole mess as Astrid was. He was just too proud and stubborn to see it. The longer Hiccup stayed in the fight, the more frustrated Stronggut was becoming—it was bruising his ego. The other Viking had probably expected he would knock Hiccup out with his opening shot.

Stronggut, having grown tired of talking, charged at Hiccup, raising his sword as he closed in. Hiccup knew his best chance to win was to disarm Stronggut somehow, so he fired the small bolas from the center hub of his shield. It tangled around Stronggut's blade, sending it flying out of his fist before landing halfway across the arena; Stronggut let out a shout of rage.

Hiccup seized the opportunity to go on the offensive. This time, _he_ ran towards the other Viking, but Stronggut darted over to the shield he had discarded earlier. With the tip of his foot, he kicked the shield up into his hand and flung it at Hiccup like a discus. Hiccup deflected it with his shield, but the distraction had given Stronggut the head start he needed to recover his sword. He fumbled with the bolas, trying to free his blade from the ropes. The more he wrestled with it, the more frantic and uncoordinated his efforts became. Hiccup charged, raising his sword, preparing to strike with a stabbing motion, as opposed to a swing that might potentially take off an arm. After all, Hiccup knew his sword was extremely sharp; he and Gobber had collaborated on it. His goal was to injure or incapacitate Stronggut, not _dismember _him. Hiccup knew full well how it felt to lose a limb and he did not wish that on anybody, even his enemy. Yet another way he fell short of those traditional Viking values…

Stronggut anticipated his move, dropping his own bound-up sword, and turned his torso so that Hiccup's blade narrowly missed him. He reached out and seized Hiccup's forearm in a vice-like grip, holding his sword arm in place as he grabbed onto Hiccup's Gronckle Iron shield with his free hand. In one fluid motion, he pulled the shield off Hiccup's arm. Then, he swung the shield through the air, hitting Hiccup hard across the forehead with it before tossing it aside. Spots flew in his vision and Hiccup felt a sharp, burning sting and the warm gush of blood as it poured down the side of his face. He felt Stronggut release him and he staggered backwards, hesitantly reaching up to feel the fresh laceration on his temple. Thankfully, it did not feel deep but it was bleeding quite freely, as head wounds had a tendency to do. Hiccup lowered his hand and glanced down at his fingertips which were slick with his blood.

He heard a snapping sound and glanced up to see Stronggut freeing his blade from the bolas. He pulled the ropes taught in one direction and his blade went the other way, slicing through them easily. Unfortunately for Hiccup, Stronggut was not a _total_ idiot. He needed to figure out a new approach, and fast. His head was feeling fuzzy and the cut on his forehead throbbed painfully.

_Great_. As if Stronggut _needed _another advantage…

Hiccup noticed his shield was lying a couple of yards from where Stronggut stood. He needed to get to it, but there was the small problem that his opponent was now in possession of his weapon again. Stronggut lunged at him, but without his shield, Hiccup knew he was outmatched. He could parry Stronggut's blade well enough, but Hiccup could not match the older Viking in swordplay alone. Hiccup had no choice but to evade; Stronggut had him on the run and they both knew it.

A twisted smile spread across Stronggut's face as he swung his blade, over and over. He could only miss because Hiccup was quicker. Hiccup had to thank Toothless again for teaching him that particular skill, but he could not keep it up forever. Especially, if he planned on winning the fight. With each blow he dodged, the misses were becoming increasingly narrow and crossing blades became a necessity.

"Give it up, Hiccup!" Stronggut taunted as their swords clashed. "If you surrender now, I promise I'll let you keep the rest of your limbs!"

Hiccup was growing very lightheaded and he could feel his hair clinging damp and sticky to his forehead. Things were getting worse by the second and he could hear Stronggut's delighted cackling as he stumbled into the wall of the arena, losing his balance. As Stronggut continued to attack, Hiccup remained attached to the wall, using it to steady himself. He desperately swung his sword to parry Stronggut's blows, taking steps back to evade the other Viking's blade. The moves were clumsy at best, but Hiccup could not manage much else at that moment.

"I really don't want to kill you," Stronggut said, closing in like a wild dragon stalking its wounded prey. "It would be much more satisfying to keep you alive, to live with your shame…to spend the rest of your miserable life seeing me married to Astrid…who you've _failed._"

As he spoke, Hiccup noticed that Stronggut sounded a little winded. While he clearly had the upper hand in strength and combat, Stronggut did not seem like he was particularly more accomplished in his endurance than Hiccup was. It was a _start_. He just needed to wear the other man out—to lead him on a chase. He did not know if he would be able to survive it, but Thor damn it, he had to _try_.

"What do you say? Are you willing to admit I'm the superior Viking?" Stronggut said.

Hiccup shook his head, pushing away from the wall and trying his best to steady himself on his feet. Stronggut's victorious grin faltered and it was replaced by an angry scowl.

"You persistent little _shit_," Stronggut hissed.

Hiccup took a deep breath and made a mad dash for his shield, ignoring the throbbing in his forehead. Stronggut was not far behind him, but Hiccup was smaller, lighter, and faster so he reached the shield first, sliding it securely back on his left arm. Unfortunately, in his weakened state, he had not exactly put much distance between himself and the other Viking. Stronggut caught up to him and swung his sword fiercely. Hiccup leapt backward, but his dizziness was not helping matters and he swayed on the spot, trying to keep his balance. Stronggut's blade made contact, grazing Hiccup's left side. It was not a bad wound, but Hiccup really did not need another injury at the moment.

He hissed and clapped his hand over the cut, applying a firm pressure, but Stronggut would not give him the opportunity to regroup. He kept on attacking Hiccup, bringing his sword down against the Groncle Iron shield repeatedly, as if he was hacking away at a piece of firewood. His strength had not diminished over the duration of the fight, even though he was becoming increasingly short of breath, as one usually did when exerting themselves. It was all Hiccup could do to keep his shield raised and block each powerful hit. Stronggut aimed a sideways slice and Hiccup blocked it, but in the process, he had left part of his body exposed. His assailant immediately followed with a well-placed kick to the stomach.

Hiccup was slammed back into the heavy metal door that usually contained Snotlout's dragon, Hookfang. He could only assume the dragons had been moved in preparation for the fight, since not a soul stirred on the other side.

"How about I chop of your other leg so you have a matching set?" Stronggut panted.

Hiccup glanced up at Stronggut, knowing he had no more tricks left in his shield that would be particularly useful in his current situation. Sure, the shield could transform into a makeshift crossbow, but he had no arrows or comparable projectiles to fire. There was a tiny catapult at the top, but what was a small rock going to do against a beast like Stronggut? He only had one option left. He glanced down at the sword in his right hand, praying to Odin Allfather that the time and effort he and Gobber had sunk into designing and constructing the thing was about to pay off.

Stronggut reached out and grabbed Hiccup by the throat, pinning him against the metal door. He leveled the tip of his sword with Hiccup's face and said in a menacing whisper, "You should have given up when you had the chance."

"Still…have my trump card…" Hiccup gasped.

Stronggut's brow furrowed in confusion, but Hiccup would not leave him guessing. There were two small mechanisms located at the base of his sword. One released a thick, sticky flammable liquid that ran down the length of the blade. The other consisted of a small flint and metal striker, which produced a small spark. The fluid ignited and the sword caught fire immediately. Hiccup laid the blade flat against Stronggut's arm, delivering a nice, deep burn to his forearm. Stronggut recoiled instantly, releasing Hiccup's neck, howling in pain.

"W-What is _that_?" Stronggut hissed, cradling his burnt arm against his chest.

Hiccup straightened up, rubbing his throat.

"A more level playing field," he replied, glancing down at his flame sword, proudly.

He and Gobber had been building the weapon for weeks, in secret. Hiccup had come to Gobber with a crazy idea, wanting to find a way to bring dragon's fire into the arena when actual dragons were not going to be allowed. Gobber had laughed at him at first, but as Hiccup threw around loose ideas of how to accomplish such a feat, Gobber began to collaborate with him. Soon, they were drawing sketches and tinkering with various combinations of flammable substances. Finally, Gobber had been the one to crack the equation, using some kind oil and dragon's saliva.

"_A flaming sword!"_ Stronggut roared in disbelief.

"I thought you didn't care what 'pathetic little invention' I used?" Hiccup asked, trying to sound innocent, as if it were an honest question.

Stronggut narrowed his eyes, indignant that Hiccup had not only caught him off guard again, but that he dared to mock him in the process.

"I don't! It doesn't matter! No invention can erase the fact that you are a weak, sorry excuse for a Viking! This whole fight, all you have been doing is using tricks and evasion! You have _no_ fighting skills whatsoever! That sword can't win this fight for you! Nothing can, and I am going to prove it!" Stronggut snapped.

They crossed blades again, but it was not like it had been before. Hiccup realized Stronggut could deny the sword's effectiveness all he wanted, but as it swung through the air, his eyes were hooked on its every move. Under his mask of fury, Hiccup detected a glimmer of fear and awe in Stronggut's expression. Hiccup understood that the tides of the fight were turning in his favor. He now had Stronggut on the run, perhaps not physically, but mentally. He was intimidated. The look in his eyes was familiar. Hiccup had seen it many times before. It was the look of someone who did not work with dragons every day, and therefore, was not used to dealing with fire up close. Stronggut feared the flames while Hiccup respected them. _Advantage, dragon rider._

As unnerved as he may have been, Stronggut continued to attack Hiccup, but his attacks were now careful and hesitant. The movements were awkward as he tried to combine both offensive and defensive swordplay to avoid getting burned. He was fixated on the blade and was not paying as much attention to Hiccup, like the sword was its own disembodied entity. He was like a moth attracted to flame, and it suited Hiccup perfectly for the moment. His weak sword fighting skills were now compensated by Stronggut's fear and distraction. Hiccup was not on the run anymore, and he had a moment to _think_. His eyes quickly scanned Stronggut for any weaknesses he could exploit, bearing in mind his best chance was to disarm him again.

He focused in on his opponent's sword. Stronggut had been continuously beating it against his Gronckle Iron shield for most of the fight. Gronckle Iron was an extremely hard and durable metal, and Stronggut had the bad habit of over-training, and wearing down his weapons to the point of breakage before he brought them by the smithy for repairs. Yes, Hiccup was well acquainted with almost every weapon on Berk, having worked on them at some time or another. He knew Stronggut's sword well-knew how worn it was. He knew how much more damage constantly hitting it against a Gronckle Iron shield would cause. Hiccup knew the weak points on the blade. He never imagined being a blacksmith's apprentice would have prepared him for _this._

Hiccup lowered his sword intentionally, giving Stronggut the chance to strike. The other Viking did not hesitate, thrusting his blade forward. Hiccup side stepped out of the way and bent his elbow, catching Stronggut's forearm in the crook of his own. He knew he would not have a hold on his opponent for long, so Hiccup took and deep breath and raised his flame sword high above his head. Years of working in a smithy had trained his muscles for this moment. He brought his sword down, hard against Stronggut's, like the smithy hammer he had beaten against iron for hours on end. Stronggut's blade shattered into a few jagged pieces, falling from his outstretched hand. Hiccup's breath caught. _Sweet Thor!_ It had actually _worked!_

Stronggut wrenched his arm free from Hiccup's, staring at him, dumbfounded. Hiccup knew, in the back of his mind the crowd had been watching the entire time, but he had managed to tune them out in favor of concentrating on, well…_not dying_. In that moment, perhaps because he and Stronggut were equally shocked at what had just happened, Hiccup's brain was not going a mile a minute anymore. The deafening cheers of their audience filled the silence that remained. He and Stronggut continued to stare one another down, breathing heavily. Had he won? Was the fight over now? The throbbing of his head and sharp pain from the cut on his side certainly had him hoping so.

"So, Stronggut?" Hiccup asked wearily, head spinning as he straightened up—that was not a good sign. "_Who _is the superior Viking?"

Stronggut glared at him, fists shaking with rage. Hiccup had only just breathed a sigh of relief that the fight was over when it felt like a dragon had collided with him at top speed. He had enough time to register that Stronggut had tackled him before he felt an intense, shooting pain in his right shoulder that made him cry out in agony. Stronggut had him pinned to the ground and was driving a jagged shard of his broken sword deep into his shoulder. To further incapacitate him, Stronggut used his free hand to grab a fistful of Hiccup's hair, slamming his head a couple of times against the stone floor for good measure. Hiccup's vision went in and out of focus and his brain felt scrambled in his skull. He made a feeble attempt to sit up, but the world spun around him and he fell back against the ground, groaning.

"Did you really think this was over? That you had _won?_ Against _me?_" Stronggut hissed, pushing the blade fragment deeper still.

Hiccup did his best to swing his right arm, to attack with the flame sword, but he only managed graze Stronggut's bicep. The other man howled and swore from the burning cut, but as he twisted the hilt of the shattered blade embedded in Hiccup's shoulder, Hiccup felt his arm spasm then go limp. The flame sword rested in his hand as it laid uselessly by his side.

Stronggut seized the blazing sword, brandishing it in the air triumphantly.

"I told you that even this sword could not help you win!" he said gleefully. "You will always be _weak_!"

Hiccup glanced up at him, his vision blurry. He started to see two Stronggut's swimming before his eyes. Oh, dear Odin. One was enough. Hiccup groaned, shutting his eyes. That was how it was all going to end. He had been so stupid to think he stood any chance against Stronggut. No matter how much "Hiccup flair" he threw at the other Viking, there was no denying that he was never going to be a fighter. He had been outmatched from the start. Stronggut was born and raised to do this, and he did it well. Hiccups inventions had bought him time. They drew out the _svipting_ and had made it interesting for all the spectators, he was sure. In the end, it did not matter. He had been deluding himself from the start. Stronggut had the upper hand and he was going to defeat Hiccup with his own invention. How _embarrassing_.

"Now, I _am_ going to kill you Hiccup Horrendous Haddock…"

"The _third_," Hiccup mumbled.

He laughed inwardly. Why was that so funny? Was he delirious? He was _embarrassed_ that he was going to be slain with his own sword, instead of horrified that he was about to be killed. The proper pronunciation of his name was a priority over trying to escape. A few good hits to the head must do that to a person. His head. Oh, how his head was hurting. It hurt…it throbbed. Ow. The gash on his forehead was still painful, too.

"This is for _you_, Astrid!" Stronggut shouted from what sounded like a million miles away.

_Astrid_. She was watching. Hiccup felt a stab of sympathy…or was that just the blade in his shoulder? He could not tell anymore. Anyway, she had been counting on him. He had promised her he was going to win. They were going to be _happy_. He thought they had a chance. Now, she was going to watch him die. She was going to have to marry Stronggut and spend the rest of her life with him…have his children. Suddenly, Hiccup thought he had the better fate between the two of them.

_Poor Toothless_! He would never be able to fly again…

"I'm sorry to rob you all of your future _chief_, but those were the terms!" Stronggut exclaimed to the crowd.

Hiccup didn't think he sounded sorry at all. Chief…Oh! Yeah. His father was watching this, too. There seemed to be some kind of commotion going on. Hiccup thought he heard Stoick calling his name. Why had his father not jumped in the arena and kicked Stronggut's ass yet? Oh. Right. Hiccup was not a little boy anymore. He was a man. He had dug his own grave and now it was time to die in it. He imagined someone or…_ones_ had to be holding his father back to prevent him from interfering. Hiccup knew what he had gotten himself into. Any other Viking on Berk probably would not have tried to kill him, but he had picked an opponent who had no qualms about it. First his mother died, now it was his turn. He felt another stab of sympathy for his father who was now going to be left alone. No wife, no heir. Oh, wait…no. That was the blade again, not sympathy. Stronggut had twisted it a final time for good measure.

Hiccup wondered vaguely if the gods would let him into Valhalla. After all, he was going to die a good warrior's death. Maybe the other seventeen years of his life would not count against him? Hiccup gave another mental chuckle. Damn, his head really hurt. Stronggut had really done a number on him with his shield earlier. _Wow_. His head. That shield. _Damn_.

_The shield!_

Hiccups eyes snapped open. Stronggut was poised above him, sword raised above his head, blade pointing down at Hiccup's chest. Everything seemed to have slowed down. Hiccup glanced at his left arm, the working arm. His Gronckle Iron shield was still firmly fastened to it. His eyes then darted to Stronggut's lower abdomen and groin area, which were defenseless. In the blinding pride of his victory, Stronggut could not see his mistake. He inhaled deeply as he began to plunge the firey blade toward Hiccup's heart. There was only a split second to react.

Hiccup gathered up the last remaining bit of strength he could muster, and slammed his shield diagonally into Stronggut's stomach and groin, making sure to impact all vulnerable areas. Stronggut whimpered and dropped the flame sword, curling in on himself in a protective gesture. Hiccup then sat himself up as best he could, which was extremely difficult, considering his right arm was useless. He then rammed the shield into the underside of Stronggut's jaw, like iron uppercut. Stronggut coughed and sputtered, spitting out blood and a couple of teeth into the palm of his hand. He glanced up at Hiccup, bewildered, just in time for Hiccup to bash the shield into the side of _his_ skull.

Stronggut toppled sideways onto the ground, blood dribbling from his lips and oozing from a nice forehead laceration that mirrored Hiccup's. He tried to collect himself, rolling on to all fours, but he could not bring himself to stand yet, stumbling around dizzily when he tried. Hiccup, fueled by nothing but determination and grit, got to his feet. Right arm useless, he picked up his flame sword with his left hand and staggered over to Stronggut who was still reeling from the blow to the head…or groin…or both. He actually flinched as Hiccup approached and held up his hands in a defensive manner, as if to say _please, no more!_

Hiccup lifted the sword so that the flames barely licked at Stronggut's thick neck.

"Do you yield?" Hiccup asked.

"What—?"

"Do. You. _Yield_?" Hiccup asked more forcefully, moving the blade closer to Stronggut's skin for emphasis.

Stronggut hissed and cowered back from the flames, raising his hands and bowing his head in a submissive gesture of defeat.

"Astrid is mine," Hiccup said.

"She is yours," Stronggut conceded. "Take her! Just get that sword and shield of yours away from me!"

"Say it louder! Everyone needs to hear it," Hiccup demanded urgently; everything was starting to spin again.

"The wedding is off!" Stronggut said to the crowd before spitting out another mouthful of blood. "Hiccup…wins."

There were cheers, there were boos. Hiccup could not tell which were more numerous, nor did he care. All sounds and colors started to blur together and he felt himself begin to sway dangerously on the spot. He reached up and grabbed the hilt of Stronggut's sword that sticking out of his shoulder, took a deep breath, and pulled it out. He felt blood running warm and thick from the wound. He glanced up at the crowd with a look of desperation on his face, hoping to Thor someone recognized how much trouble he was in. His vision started to fail him and the last thing he caught a glimpse of was Astrid's face before as the last remnants of consciousness escaped him. He was vaguely aware he was falling before he was swallowed up by a silent blackness.

000000

Was this what death felt like? A never ending sea of nothingness? No. It could not be. Hiccup was still _aware_, if one could even call it that. He could hear noises. Voices? He could not make out what they were saying, though. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids did not even twitch. He tried to move a part of his body—any part. Nothing. He felt heavy, like he weighed a ton. He was not even cognizant of the passage of time. How long had been laying there? Hours? Days?

Someone was touching him, suddenly. It was alarming but not uncomfortable. The hands were warm and gentle as they cleansed and bandaged his…wounds? Ow! _Yes_. Those were wounds. When did he get them? _How_ did he get them? He tried to remember, but his head throbbed painfully. He decided to give up on that for now.

"Hiccup?" came a soft, familiar voice in his ear.

_Astrid?_ He wanted to see her, talk to her. He tried again to move and this time, he was able to wiggle his fingers a little. It was not much, but it was a start.

"Chief!" Astrid exclaimed. "I think he's coming around!"

Hiccup heard heavy footsteps and felt another presence hovering over him. It was amazing how some senses sharpened when the others were dulled.

"Hiccup? Son?" It was his father.

Function had returned to both hands now, and he started to clench and unclench his fingers experimentally. Feeling was creeping up his arms at a steady pace and soon it had reach his shoulders. Unfortunately, it brought with it a sharp, intense pain that made him grimace and let out a low whine. At least he now had control over his facial muscles and the ability to make any kind of noise was promising. He decided to try opening his eyes again.

At first, he was assaulted by a blinding white light. He had to blink a couple times before he could make out foggy colors and shapes. He heard someone gasp excitedly and after a few more rapid blinks, he eyes began to focus. The first sight that greeted him was Astrid's smiling face. Hiccup felt as though he had never seen a more beautiful sight in his entire life.

"As..trid," he said slowly, just testing the way words felt in his mouth.

His speech sounded a little slurred and sluggish, and he still felt groggy and disoriented after waking up from being out cold for…a while, he assumed.

"That boy is harder to kill than eh' cockroach," Gobber said, limping into view.

"I'm happy…to see you…too," Hiccup said to him, managing a small smile.

A soft warbling sound came from the other side of the room and Hiccup turned his head to see Toothless sitting there, looking as concerned as a dragon could.

"Hey, bud," Hiccup said, reaching out for Toothless; speech was getting easier for him now.

The Night Fury moved closer to the bed and pressed his snout against Hiccup's outstretched hand.

"He hasn't left your side this whole time," Astrid said.

"Neither have ye, really," Gobber replied, giving her a little nudge; she ignored him.

His father took a step forward, taking a deep breath in and holding it. He looked like he was waging some intense internal struggle between maintaining his composure as a chief and letting his guard down as a father. He probably would have done the latter if Gobber and Astrid were not present.

"Hiccup, I thought…when Svenson had you pinned down…and I…," Stoick said, voice thick with emotion.

It always made Hiccup a little uncomfortable to see his dad get that way. His father had never been one for expressing feelings, so he decided to spare the man the discomfort.

"Dad, it's okay," he replied, holding up a hand to stop him. "I know."

Stoick just nodded briefly, and that was all that needed to be spoken between them on the subject.

"C'mon Stoick. It's a little crowded in here," Gobber said pointedly, gesturing towards the stairs.

The two men took their leave, shutting the door behind them, giving Astrid and Hiccup some much needed privacy. Satisfied that Hiccup seemed alright, Toothless settled down on his stone slab and watched the two teens, curiously.

"What happened, exactly?" Hiccup asked. "I don't remember much after breaking Stronggut's sword."

"Probably because he tried to crack your head like an egg on the ground. Well, he knocked you to the ground and that's when he did _this_ to your shoulder," Astrid explained, nodding to the wound.

Hiccup tried raising his arm, and while he did not have full range of motion in it, he could lift it about a foot off the bed and flex it at the elbow. It was better than nothing.

"My mother patched up what she could, but she says you're lucky. Stronggut didn't sever any tendons or anything like that. Mom says the muscles will heal, but you're going to have scarring, which may be a little uncomfortable and stiff sometimes, even after it heals. She seems to think you'll gain most, if not all of your movement back if you work at it," Astrid explained.

Astrid's mother was particularly gifted with treating wounds and various injuries. She had been the one people went to when maimed and burned during dragon raids. Hiccup was grateful that Astrid's mother had taken such good care of his injuries, considering all the drama that had transpired in the past forty-eight hours.

"Scars and discomfort? Sounds like business as usual for a Viking," Hiccup said sarcastically.

"Well, mom's right. You _are _lucky. When Stronggut had you on the ground, he got a hold of your sword...for a second, we all thought he was going to kill you," Astrid whispered, averting her eyes to stare at her lap.

"Was it that close of a call?" Hiccup asked, with a frown.

Astrid did not say anything, she just nodded silently, refusing to look at him. Was she crying? Astrid didn't _cry._

"What's wrong?"

Astrid just shook her head vigorously. Hiccup used his good arm to push himself up into a sitting position so he could get a better look at her.

"Astrid, look at me," Hiccup said gently, reaching for her with his good hand; she slapped it away.

"That. Is. The. _SECOND_ time you have almost died on me, Haddock!" Astrid snapped, suddenly glancing up at him with an icy glare. No tears. Of _course_, there were no tears. "Not to mention all the other times you've put yourself in mortal danger over the years! Do you _have_ a death wish?"

"Well, no. Not particularly..." Hiccup replied, confused at where the conversation was going. He never could tell with Astrid.

"I mean, I suppose I should just be happy you won and all, but you just barely pulled it out. I don't know if you can call what you did a victory or just plain dumb luck!" Astrid chided. "You scared me to death! Only two times in my life have I been so terrified of losing someone, and both times were about you, because you have to go be a stupid, reckless, _noble_ idiot!"

"Uh, on the bright side, you don't have to marry Stronggut now. Isn't _that_ a good thing?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, Hiccup. It's a _great_ thing—but now I'm stuck with you! Clearly being with you is bad for my health. Loving you is stressful," Astrid replied, crossing her arms sternly. Surely she did not mean that.

"Okay. I'm confused," Hiccup admitted. "So is it a good thing or a bad thing that we're together now?"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa!_" Astrid said, raising her hand to stop him. "I never said we're together! You don't get to determine that. I've had enough of people making decisions for me."

"So…I nearly got killed to be with you for _nothing_?" Hiccup asked, indignantly. This was not at all what he had been expecting.

"I never said that!" Astrid replied defensively.

"_What!_ What are you—mmphf!"

Astrid cut off his angry retort with a soft, loving kiss on the lips. When they broke apart, Hiccup was significantly less irritated, but no less confused.

"You're…going to have to explain this one to me," Hiccup said. "Draw diagrams if you have to."

"Hiccup," Astrid said, gently caressing his cheek, "isn't it obvious? We're what we've _always _been…beautifully complicated. Don't ruin it by trying to _label_ it. There isn't one good enough to describe what _this_ is. Understand?_"_

Okay. So they _were_ together. Astrid just did not want to define it with words like _couple_ and _girlfriend_. He did not really blame her. They had enough of people trying to tell them what to be. To use labels would be to limit themselves to everyone else's perceptions of what they were to one another.

"I think I do, actually," Hiccup said, grinning. "Why fix what isn't broken?"

Astrid gave him a little wink and replied, "Exactly."

They gazed at each other for a moment, then Hiccup said, "But, just so we're clear…I _can't_ date other girls?"

Astrid drew back her fist to punch him in the arm, but if she did, she was only going to be able to reach his injured shoulder from where she was sitting.

"Joking!" Hiccup exclaimed, throwing his hands up defensively. "Oh gods, Astrid…_joking_! I was—that was a joke."

"Typically, jokes are _funny_," Astrid retorted. "Oh, and by the way…flame sword? _That's _what you were working on the whole time?"

"Yeah. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah, if dumping it in a bucket of ice water to douse the flames is neat, then sure."

"Okay, so there are a few kinks I need to work out in the design…but admit it, you're totally jealous," Hiccup teased.

"Maybe. If you could build a flaming axe, then I would be jealous," Astrid replied.

"Don't tempt me," Hiccup said, with a laugh.

"But Hiccup…you don't really _mean_ that," Astrid said leaning in to whisper in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"No," he said, turning to brush his lips against hers. "I don't."

They shared a slow, deep passionate kiss. For the first time, they did not care who might see them, or walk in on them. They did not have to sneak around anymore. They did not have to hide or lie about it, meeting up in secret on a remote island or in the middle of the night. They did not care what anyone said, or what people might now speculate about their relationship. They both understood what they were to each other now. They were good. They were right. They were each other's everything, and finally, they were _free_.

~Fin

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Please read:

**Author's Note: **Oh my gosh, it's _done_ y'all! Now stick around for a short little epilogue I'll be tacking on later today or tomorrow to tie up some loose ends and things. I hope you enjoyed this story, though! I tried to get the fight out as fast I could because stopping the last chapter on that cliffhanger made me such an _ass_. I know. Believe me. I just felt like all this content needed its own chapter.

On another note, some of you may be thinking, "Wait a minute…your summary said later chapters might be rated M! Where's the M? I mean…are they gonna _do_ it? Where's the _sex_?" Before you accuse me of cheating you out of some delicious Hiccstrid loving, consider this: As my first fic, I want this to reach the broadest audience for the subject matter so I kept the rating T. Plus, for what I was trying to accomplish in this story, I don't think there _needed_ to be a sex scene. I almost wrote one a couple times but I always went _nah_, and changed my mind, feeling like it would have distracted from some other things I wanted to focus on. THAT BEING SAID…I did mention in the above note that I plan on writing more fan fics in the near future (really near…like…starting right after this kind of near)…if you're waiting for some of _that_…it is coming, I promise you. I am only one person with one laptop and ten little fingers! My fingers can only gp so effing fast, y'all!

Also, I don't read the HTTYD books, if that's not already really obvious. All my info, characterizations, and stuff are based off the movies and the TV show. So if you are just a follower of the books and hate my guts for ignoring them completely…uh…sorry? As for anything I wrote in this story regarding the flame sword that Hiccup has in HTTYD2 (Is that a spoiler anymore? Are we all informed by now that's totally going to be a thing? Good.)…y'all I have _no idea_ how they're going to canonically explain the origins of that blade, or if they ever will, but in the name of fan fiction I have offered my alternative explanation. That's my final disclaimer.

E. Wills, out!


	11. Epilogue

It had been nearly three months since the _svipting_ between Hiccup and Stronggut. The warmth of summer had surrendered to the creeping chill of autumn, but Astrid's spirits had never been higher. The cancellation of her marriage had caused some disappointment around Berk, particularly to those who had invested so much time in its preparation, but the decorations and premium mead would not go to waste. They were a Viking tribe, they had to come up with _some_ excuse to throw a party and partake of the food and spirits. It had been Happy Blue Sky Day, or The Full Moon is Out Tonight, So Let's Party Day…or something like that. The only souls on Berk who remained sour about the fight were, unsurprisingly, the Svensons. They had initially tried to call a rematch on the grounds that Hiccup's inventions were illegal in combat, but Gobber and Stoick had held firm to the judgment that they had still only been one sword and one shield, therefore Hiccup had not broken any rules. Knowing that they would not be able to win Astrid back, they pursued the only other avenue they had—revisiting the idea of the blood debt. If they could not bind themselves to the Hoffersons through marriage, they demanded some kind of material compensation. If they could not have influence, they wanted wealth.

The Hoffersons had appealed to Stoick, who almost lost his only son to the Svensons' quest for power and was therefore not very agreeable to their cause. Since the Hoffersons and Svensons could not reach an agreeable solution to the blood debt issue, Stoick used the opportunity to invoke his right as Chief of Berk to settle any unresolved dispute. He ruled that, since a wild dragon had killed the Svenson patriarch, it was the dragon that was responsible and not the Hoffersons. Since the guilty dragon was nowhere to be found, and killing a dragon on Berk was now akin to murder, The Svensons were left with nothing. Everyone knew that Stoick had stretched his boundaries as chief on that particular matter, but given the circumstances, everyone just turned a blind eye. The Svensons faded into the background, disgraced.

Astrid would see Stronggut and his friends around the village every now and then, but they would pretend like she was a ghost, invisible and mute to them. It caused her only a small pang of sadness and guilt, considering how much time and effort she had invested into their friendships over the past three years. Like a leaf in the breeze however, the regret was only fleeting and Astrid reveled in the new freedom she now enjoyed. It seemed as though the entire village had forgiven her, too. Especially after witnessing the fight and the way the Svensons had still clamored for power in the aftermath. No one could really blame her anymore for wanting to get out of such a rotten match. It also did not hurt that she had pursued a relationship with Hiccup, of all people. Since the defeat of the Red Death, he had become the hero of Berk, so being in a relationship with him only made Astrid more likable in everyone else's eyes. Not that she had ever really cared what others thought of her—but she had to admit it was nice not being glared at wherever she went.

"Astrid! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

She looked up to see Hiccup jogging towards her. Her heart skipped a beat. It always annoyed her how it did that.

Hiccup had healed remarkably well since the _svipting._ The cut on his side had completely healed and the gash on his forehead was now just a faint scar hidden beneath his shaggy auburn hair. For the first couple weeks after, he had gotten pretty bad headaches. As time passed, they had grown less in severity and frequency, and Astrid could not recall exactly how long ago his last one had been. Even his shoulder had recovered well, considering the damage Stronggut had inflicted. Hiccup could move his arm freely, with full range of motion, but it would occasionally feel stiff and achey. If he moved it awkwardly at all, he would grimace and hiss in pain and Astrid would immediately feel a rush of sympathy and concern. Astrid had to be really careful which shoulder she punched him on—Hiccup was not too sweet on her when she hit him in that right shoulder, even though it was almost fully healed. He always shook it off though, and was quick to smile again, just as he had so many years ago, even after losing part of his leg. The injuries he sustained then and now would have been enough to defeat a lesser man, but Hiccup, though his physical strength and combat skills were lacking, _was _a better Viking than most. Astrid admired his indomitable spirit.

"What's going on?" she asked him curiously.

"We have a bit of a problem down at the docks," Hiccup said, sounding exasperated. Whatever it was had him flustered. "Trader Johann thought it would be a good idea to start bartering for dragon eggs."

Astrid clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh at the thought of someone as inexperienced as Johann handling dragon eggs…on a _wooden_ boat.

"Yeah, it went about as bad as you'd imagine," Hiccup said flatly. "Pieces of dock _everywhere_. They've just now finished putting out the fires."

Astrid remembered just how disastrous and destructive her first experience with dragon eggs had been.

"Honestly, I'm surprised it's taken this long for him to try it," she replied with a shrug.

"Well, he's a bit beside himself. They couldn't save his boat."

"So, what do you need my help with?" Astrid asked.

"They were Deadly Nadder eggs—about two dozen or so," Hiccup explained. "Baby Nadders are running loose all over the place. Do you think you could lend your expertise to help round them up before my dad has a coronary?"

Astrid felt excitement welling up inside her. This is who she was now. No more reminiscing over time gone by, glory days of combat now lost. She lived for this, training dragons and being with Hiccup.

"Well if Nadders are the problem, I'm your Viking!" She exclaimed.

Hiccup smiled sweetly at her then whistled for Toothless. The Night Fury was by his side in a matter of seconds. He leapt into the saddle and offered her his hand, but she batted it away and climbed up behind him without assistance. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist knowing that, as fast as Stormyfly was, no dragon compared to Toothless in speed. The dragon pushed off from the ground, as smooth a takeoff as ever.

Astrid loved the feeling of the cool wind rushing through her hair, but she loved the feeling of Hiccup in her arms even more. There was something so incredibly appealing about riding on the back of a dragon, together. Maybe it was the way she could feel Hiccup's muscles flex beneath her hands as he and Toothless worked in tandem. Or maybe it was the way Hiccup had such a confident, commanding presence on the back of a dragon that few other riders had. Whatever the reason, Astrid knew that all their struggles had been worth it to get to this point.

As she laid her head on the back of his shoulder and closed her eyes, she felt him gently cover one of her hands with his. They had a hold of each other now, and they were never going to let go again.


End file.
